RAFTMATES 


A  STORY  OF  THE  GREAT  RIVER 


W1NN    DASHED    AWAY    WITH    TITE    SPEED    OF    A    DEER." 


KAFTMATES 

A    STOUT    OF   THE    a  RE  AT   RIVER 


BY 


KIRK    MUNROE 

AUTHOR  OF 
"  DORTMATB8  "    "CAMPMATES"    "  CANOEMATES  "   1TC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW   YOHK   AND   LONDOX 
HARPER    A    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 


RAFTMATES 

Copyright,  1893.  by  Harper  &  Brothers 
Copyright,  1921,  by  Kirk  Munroe 
Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 
D-D 


CONTENTS. 


OHAFTZB  JAfll 

I.  THE  RAFT 1 

II.  WINN  ASSUMES  A  RESPONSIBILITY 8 

III.  A  MUD-BESPATTERED  ARRIVAL  FROM  CALIFORNIA    .    .  16 

IV.  BILLY  BRACKETT  STARTS  DOWN  THE  RIVER  ....  26 
V.  How  THE  VOYAGE  WAS  BEGUN 82 

VI.  MR.  GILDER  AND  HIS  RUDE  RECEPTION 40 

VII.  A  GANG  OF  "RIVER-TRADERS" 48 

VIII.  DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  RAFT 67 

IX.  ALONE  ON  THE  ISLAND 63 

X.  A  NIGHT  OF  STRANGE  HAPPENINGS -    .  71 

XI.  BILLY  BRACKETT'S  SURPRISING  SITUATION      ....  80 
XII.  THE  TRAPPERS  TRAPPED 89 

XIII.  WINN'S  LONELY  CRUISE 97 

XIV.  A  PEAL  OF  GIRLISH  LAUGHTER 106 

XV.  "CAP'N  COD,"  SABELLA,  AND  THE  "WHATNOT"    .    .113 

XVI.  BIM   MAKES  AN  ENEMY 121 

XVII.  THE  TRUTH,  BUT  NOT  THE  WHOLE  TRUTH      ....  129 

XVIII.  FOLLOWING  THE  TRAIL 137 

XIX.  A  CURIOUS  COMPLICATION 147 

XX.  BIM  GROWLS 166 

XXI.  ETORY  ONE  EXPLAINS 166 

XXII.  A  "MEWEL"  NAMED  "REWARD" 173 

XXIII.  REWARD  RUNS  AWAY  WITH  THE  PANORAMA    .         .181 


RJ23470 


vi  Contents. 


XXIV.   WlNN  I/ISCOVERS  HIS  LONG-LOST  PUlT      .      .      .      .190 

XXV.  THE  RAFT  AND  SHOW-BOAT  CHANGE  CREWS.    .    .198 

XXVI.  A  DISASTROUS  COLLISION 207 

XXVII.  Is  THIS  OUR  RAPT  OR  NOT  ? 216 

XXVIII.  THE  RESCUE  OF  SABELLA 225 

XXIX.  BIM  BRINGS  ABOUT  A  JOYFUL  MEETING   ....  234 

XXX.  IN  CLOD'S  CABIN 243 

XXXI.  CAMPMATKS  TURN  RAFTMATES 252 

XXXII.  THE  "  RIVER-TRADERS  "  ATTEMPT  TO  REGAIN  POS 
SESSION  261 

XXXIII.  WHERE  is  BIM? 269 

XXXIV.  A  BLAZE  ON  THE  RIVER 277 

XXXV.  Bm's  HEROISM 286 

XXXVI.  THE  MASTER  OF  Moss  BANK 295 

XXXVII.  BIM'S  COON 303 

XXXVIII.  THE  GREAT  RIVER  AND  ITS  MISCHIEF 312 

XXXIX.  HURLED  THROUGH  THE  CREVASSE  AND  WRECKED    .  322 

XL.  A  MEETING  OF  MATES  .  332 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

"WINN    DASHED    AWAY    WITH    THE    SPEED    OF 

A    DEER" Frontispiece 

"  'WHO'S  THERE?'  CRIED  THE  OLD  MAN"    .     .     .     Facing  p.     108 

"  THE  NEXT  INSTANT  HE  SPRANG  TO  HIS  FEET 

WITH  A  CRT" "         244 

"  LIKE    YOUNG    TIGERS    THE    BOYS    TUGGED    AT 

THE    HEAVY    SWEEPS"    .  "  284 


E AFT  MATES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    RAFT. 


ALTHOUGH  the  Venture  was  by  no  means  so  large 
a  raft  as  many  that  Winn  Caspar  had  watched 
glide  down  the  Mississippi,  he  considered  it  about 
the  finest  craft  of  that  description  ever  put  to 
gether.  He  was  also  a  little  more  proud  of  it 
than  of  anything  else  in  the  whole  world.  Of 
course  he  excepted  his  brave  soldier  father,  who 
had  gone  to  the  war  as  a  private,  to  come  home 
when  it  was  all  over  wearing  a  major's  uniform  ; 
and  his  dear  mother,  who  for  four  weary  years 
had  been  both  father  and  mother  to  him,  and  his 
sister  Elta,  who  was  not  only  the  prettiest  girl  in 
the  county,  but,  to  Winn's  mind,  the  cleverest. 
But  outside  of  his  immediate  family,  the  raft,  the 
Venture ',  as  his  father  had  named  it,  was  the 
object  of  the  boy's  most  sincere  admiration  and 
pride.  Had  he  not  helped  build  it  ?  Did  he  not 


£  JRaftmates : 

know  every  timber  and  plank  and  board  in  it  ? 
Had  he  not  assisted  in  loading  it  with  enough 
bushels  of  wheat  to  feed  an  army  ?  Was  he  not 
about  to  leave  home  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
to  float  away  down  the  great  river  and  out  into 
the  wide  world  on  it  ?  Certainly  he  had,  and  did, 
and  was.  So  no  wonder  he  was  proud  of  the  raft, 
and  impatient  for  the  waters  of  the  little  river, 
on  a  bank  of  which  the  Caspar's  lived,  to  be 
high  enough  to  float  it,  that  they  might  make  a 
start. 

Winn  had  never  known  any  home  but  this  one 
near  the  edge  of  the  vast  pine  forests  of  Wiscon 
sin.  Here  Major  Caspar  had  brought  his  New 
England  bride  many  years  before.  Here  he  had 
built  up  a  mill  business  that  was  promising  him 
a  fortune  in  a  few  years  more  at  the  time  when 
the  war  called  him.  When  peace  was  declared, 
this  business  was  wellnigh  ruined,  and  the  soldier 
must  begin  life  again  as  a  poor  man.  For  many 
months  he  struggled,  but  made  little  head-way 
against  adverse  fortune.  The  mill  turned  out 
lumber  fast  enough,  but  there  was  no  demand  for 
it,  or  those  who  wanted  it  were  too  poor  to  pay 
its  price.  At  length  the  Major  decided  upon  a 
bold  venture.  The  Caspar  mill  was  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  Mississippi.  Far  away  down 
the  great  river  were  cities  where  money  was 


A  Story  of  the  Great  fiiver.  S 

plenty,  and  where  lumber  and  farm  products  were 
in  demand.  There  were  not  half  enough  steam 
boats  on  the  river,  and  freights  were  high ;  but 
the  vast  waterway  with  its  ceaseless  current  was 
free  to  all.  Why  should  not  he  do  as  others  had 
done  and  were  constantly  doing — raft  his  goods  to 
a  market  ?  It  would  take  time,  of  course ;  but  a 
few  months  of  the  autumn  and  winter  could  be 
spared  as  well  as  not,  and  so  it  was  finally  decided 
that  the  venture  should  be  undertaken. 

It  was  not  to  be  a  timber  raft  only.  Major 
Caspar  did  not  care  to  attempt  the  navigating  of 
a  huge  affair,  such  as  his  entire  stock  of  sawed 
material  would  have  made,  nor  could  he  afford  the 
expense  of  a  large  crew.  Then,  too,  while  ready 
money  was  scarce  in  his  neighborhood,  the  prairie 
wheat  crop  of  that  season  was  unusually  good. 
So  he  exchanged  half  his  lumber  for  wheat,  and 
devoted  his  leisure  during  the  summer  to  the 
construction  of  a  raft  with  the  remainder. 

This  raft  contained  the  very  choice  of  the  mill's 
output  for  that  season — squared  timbers,  planks, 
and  boards  enough  to  load  a  ship.  It  was  pro 
vided  with  two  long  sweeps,  or  steering  oars,  at 
each  end,  with  a  roomy  shanty  for  the  accommo 
dation  of  the  crew,  and  with  two  other  buildings 
for  the  stowing  of  cargo.  The  floors  of  these 
structures  were  raised  a  foot  above  the  deck  of  the 


4  Raftmates : 

raft,  and  were  made  water-tight,  so  that  when 
waves  or  swells  from  passing  steamboats  broke 
over  the  raft,  their  contents  would  not  be  injured. 
In  front  of  the  central  building,  or  "  shanty,"  was 
a  bed  of  sand  six  feet  square,  enclosed  by  wooden 
sides,  on  which  the  camp-fires  were  to  be  built. 
Much  of  the  cooking  would  also  be  done  here. 
Besides  this  there  was  a  small  stove  in  the 
"  shanty  "  for  use  during  cold  or  wet  weather. 

The  "  shanty"  had  a  door  and  three  windows, 
and  was  in  other  ways  made  unusually  comfort 
able.  The  Major  said  that  after  four  years  of 
roughing  it,  he  now  meant  to  take  his  comfort 
wherever  he  could  find  it,  even  though  it  was  only 
on  a  raft.  So  the  Venture  's  "  shanty  "  was  very 
different  from  the  rude  lean-to  or  shelter  of 
rough  boards,  such  as  was  to  be  seen  on  most  of 
the  timber  rafts  of  the  great  river.  Its  interior 
was  divided  into  two  rooms,  the  after  one  of  which 
was  a  tiny  affair  only  six  by  ten  feet.  It  was  fur 
nished  with  two  bunks,  one  above  the  other,  a 
table,  two  camp-chairs,  and  several  shelves,  on  one 
of  which  were  a  dozen  books  of  travel  and  history. 
This  was  the  sleeping-room  that  Winn  was  to 
share  with  his  father. 

A  door  from  this  opened  into  the  main  living- 
room  of  the  "  shanty."  Here  were  bunks  for  six 
men,  a  dining-table,  several  benches,  barrels,  and 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  5 

boxes  of  provisions,  and  the  galley,  with  its  stove 
and  ample  supply  of  pots,  pans,  and  dishes.  The 
bunks  were  filled  with  fresh,  sweet-smelling  wheat 
straw,  covered  with  heavy  army  blankets,  and  the 
whole  affair  was  about  the  most  comfortable 
"shanty"  ever  set  up  on  a  Mississippi  timber  raft. 
To  Winn  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  could  be 
more  perfect  or  inviting,  and  he  longed  for  the 
time  when  it  should  be  his  temporary  home. 

For  a  whole  month  after  the  raft  was  finished, 
loaded,  and  ready  to  set  forth  on  its  uncertain 
voyage,  it  remained  hard  and  fast  aground  where 
it  was  built.  To  Winn's  impatience  it  seemed  as 
though  high-water  never  would  come. 

"  I  don't  believe  this  old  raft  is  ever  going  to 
float  any  more  than  the  mill  itself,"  he  remarked 
pettishly  to  his  sister  Elta  one  day  in  October,  as 
they  sat  together  on  the  Venture  and  watched  the 
sluggish  current  of  the  little  river. 

"  Father  thinks  it  will,"  answered  Elta,  quietly. 

"  Oh  yes.  Of  course  father  thinks  so ;  but  he 
may  be  mistaken  as  well  as  other  folks.  Now  if 
I'd  had  the  building  of  this  craft,  I  would  have 
floated  all  the  material  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
creek.  Then  everything  would  have  been  ready 
for  a  start  as  soon  as  she  was  finished." 

"  How  would  you  have  loaded  the  wheat  ?"  de 
manded  Elta. 


6  Raft/mates : 

"  "Why,  boated  it  down,  of  course." 

"And  so  added  largely  to  its  cost,"  answered 
the  practical  girl.  "  You  know,  Winn,  that  it  was 
ever  so  much  cheaper  to  build  the  raft  here  than 
it  would  have  been  'way  down  there,  and,  besides, 
father  wasn't  ready  to  start  when  it  was  finished. 
I  heard  him  tell  mother  that  he  didn't  care  to  get 
away  before  the  1st  of  November.  Anyhow, 
father  must  understand  his  own  business  better 
than  a  sixteen-year-old  boy,  even  if  that  boy's 
2iame  is  Winn  Caspar." 

"  Oh,  1  never  saw  such  a  girl  as  you  are !"  ex 
claimed  Winn,  impatiently.  "You  are  always 
making  objections  to  my  plans,  and  telling  me 
that  I'm  only  a  boy.  You'd  rather  any  time  travel 
in  a  rut  that  some  one  else  had  made  than  mark 
out  a  track  for  yourself.  For  my  part,  I'd  much 
rather  think  out  my  own  plans  and  try  new  ways." 

«  So  do  I,  Winnie  ;  but—" 

"  Oh,  don't  call  me  £  Winnie,'  whatever  you  do ! 
I'm  as  tired  of  pet  names  and  baby  talk  as  I  am  of 
waiting  here  for  high- water  that  won't  ever  come." 

With  this  the  petulant  lad  rose  to  his  feet,  and 
leaping  ashore,  disappeared  among  the  trees  of  the 
river-bank,  leaving  Elta  to  gaze  after  him  with  a 
grieved  expression,  and  a  suspicion  of  tears  in  her 
brown  eyes. 

In  spite  of  this  little  scene,  Winn  Caspar  was 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  7 

not  an  ill-tempered  boy.  He  had  not  learned  the 
beauty  of  self-control,  and  thus  often  spoke  hastily, 
and  without  considering  the  feelings  of  others. 
He  was  also  apt  to  think  that  if  things  were  left 
to  his  management,  he  could  improve  upon  almost 
any  plan  proposed  or  carried  out  by  some  one  else. 
He  had  mingled  but  little  with  other  boys,  and  as 
"  man  of  the  family  "  during  his  father's  four  years 
of  absence  in  the  army,  had  conceived  a  false  esti 
mate  of  his  own  importance  and  ability. 

Absorbed  by  pressing  business  cares  after  re 
suming  the  pursuits  of  a  peaceful  life,  Major  Cas 
par  had  been  slow  to  note  the  imperfections  in  his 
boy's  character.  He  was  deeply  grieved  when  his 
eyes  were  finally  opened  to  them,  and  held  many 
an  earnest  consultation  with  his  wife  concerning 
the  son,  who  was  at  once  the  source  of  their  great 
est  anxiety  and  the  object  of  their  fondest  hopes. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WINN  ASSUMES  A  RESPONSIBILITY. 

IT  was  during  one  of  these  conversations  with 
the  boy's  mother  that  Major  Caspar  decided  to 
take  Winn  with  him  on  his  raft  voyage  down  the 
Mississippi. 

"  If  I  find  a  good  chance  to  place  the  boy  in  a 
first-class  school  in  one  of  the  large  cities  after  the 
voyage  is  ended  I  shall  do  so,"  said  the  Major. 
"It  is  only  fair,  though,  that  he  should  have  a 
chance  to  see  and  learn  something  of  the  world 
first.  After  all,  there  is  nothing  equal  to  travel  as 
an  educator.  I  honestly  believe  that  the  war  did 
more  in  four  years  towards  educating  this  nation 
by  stirring  its  people  up  and  moving  large  bodies 
of  them  to  sections  remote  from  their  homes  than 
all  our  colleges  have  in  fifty." 

"  But  you  mean  that  Winn  shall  go  to  college, 
of  course  ?"  said  Mrs.  Caspar,  a  little  anxiously. 

"If  he  wants  to,  and  shows  a  real  liking  for 
study,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  not  unless  he  does. 
College  is  by  no  means  the  only  place  where  a  boy 
can  receive  a  liberal  education.  He  may  acquire 


Raftmates :  A.  Story  of  the  Great  River.      9 

just  as  good  a  one  in  practical  life  if  he  is 
thoroughly  interested  in  what  he  is  doing  and  has 
an  ambition  to  excel.  I  believe  Winn  to  be  both 
ambitious  and  persevering ;  but  he  is  impulsive, 
easily  influenced,  and  impatient  of  control.  He 
has  no  idea  of  that  implicit  obedience  to  orders 
that  is  at  the  foundation  of  success  in  civil  life  as 
well  as  in  the  army ;  and,  above  all,  he  is  possessed 
of  such  an  inordinate  self-conceit  that  if  it  is  not 
speedily  curbed  by  one  or  more  severe  lessons,  it 
may  lead  him  into  serious  trouble." 

"Oh,  John!"  expostulated  the  mother.  "  Do 
you  realize  that  you  are  saying  these  horrid  things 
about  our  own  boy — our  Winn  ?" 

"Indeed  I  do,  dear,"  answered  the  Major, 
smiling ;  "  and  it  is  because  he  is  our  boy,  whom 
I  love  better  than  myself,  that  I  am  analyzing  his 
character  so  carefully.  He  has  the  making  of  a 
splendid  fellow  in  him,  together  with  certain 
traits  that  might  easily  prove  his  ruin." 

"  Well,"  replied  Mrs.  Caspar,  in  a  resigned  tone, 
"  perhaps  it  will  do  him  good  to  go  away  and  be 
alone  with  you  for  a  while.  It  is  very  hard  to 
realize,  though,  that  my  little  Winn  is  sixteen  years 
old  and  almost  a  man.  But,  John,  you  won't  let 
him  run  any  risks,  or  get  into  any  danger,  will 
you  ?" 

"  Not   knowingly,   my  dear,   you  may  rest  as- 


10  Raftmates : 

snred,"  answered  the  Major.  But  he  smiled  as  he 
thought  how  impossible  it  was  to  keep  boys  from 
running  risks  and  getting  into  all  sorts  of  danger 
ous  positions. 

So  it  was  decided  that  Winn  should  form  one  of 
the  crew  of  the  Venture  whenever  the  raft  should 
be  ready  to  start  on  its  long  voyage;  and  ever 
since  learning  this  decision  the  boy  had  been  in  a 
fever  of  impatience  to  be  off.  So  full  was  he  of 
anticipations  concerning  the  proposed  journey  that 
he  could  talk  and  think  of  nothing  else.  Thus, 
after  a  month  of  tiresome  delay,  he  was  in  such  an 
uncomfortable  frame  of  mind  that  it  was  a  positive 
trial  to  have  him  about  the  house.  For  this  reason 
he  was  encouraged  to  spend  much  of  his  time 
aboard  the  raft,  and  was  even  allowed  to  eat  and 
sleep  there  whenever  he  chose.  At  length  he 
reached  the  point  of  almost  quarrelling  with  his 
sister,  whom  he  loved  so  dearly  ;  but  he  had  hardly 
plunged  into  the  woods,  after  leaving  her  on  the 
raft,  before  he  regretted  his  unkind  words  and 
heartily  wished  them  unsaid.  He  hesitated  and 
half  turned  back,  but  his  "  pride,"  as  he  would 
have  called  it,  though  it  was  really  nothing  but 
cowardice,  was  too  strong  to  permit  him  to  humble 
himself  just  yet.  So,  feeling  very  unhappy,  he 
tramped  moodily  on  through  the  woods,  full  of 
bitter  thoughts,  angry  with  himself  and  all  the 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  11 

world.  Yet  if  any  one  had  asked  him  what  it  was 
all  about,  he  could  not  have  told. 

Winn  took  a  long  circuit  through  the  silent 
forest,  and  by  the  time  he  again  reached  the  river- 
bank,  coining  out  just  above  the  mill,  he  had 
walked  himself  tired,  but  into  quite  a  cheerful 
frame  of  mind.  The  mill  was  shut  down  for  the 
night,  its  workers  had  gone  home,  and  not  a  sound 
broke  the  evening  stillness.  The  boy  sat  on  a  pile 
of  slabs  for  a  few  minutes,  resting,  and  watching 
the  glowing  splendor  of  sunset  as  reflected  in  the 
waters  of  the  stream  at  his  feet.  At  length  he 
started  up  and  was  about  to  go  to  the  house,  where, 
as  he  had  decided,  his  very  first  act  would  be  to 
ask  Elta's  forgiveness.  The  house  stood  some  dis 
tance  from  the  river-bank,  and  was  hidden  from  it 
by  the  trees  of  a  young  apple  orchard.  As  Winn 
rose  to  his  feet  and  cast  a  lingering  glance  at  the 
wonderful  beauty  of  the  water,  he  noticed  a 
familiar  black  object  floating  amid  its  splendor  of 
crimsons  and  gold. 

"  I  wonder  how  that  log  got  out  of  the  boom  ?" 
he  said,  half  aloud.  "  Why,  there's  another — and 
another !  The  boom  must  be  broken." 

Yes,  the  boom  of  logs,  chained  together  end  to 
end  and  stretched  completely  across  the  creek  to 
hold  in  check  the  thousands  of  saw-logs  that  filled 
the  stream  farther  than  the  eye  could  see,  had 


12  ftaftmates : 

parted  near  the  opposite  bank.  The  end  thus  loos- 
ened  had  swung  down -stream  a  little  way,  and 
there  caught  on  a  snag  formed  of  a  huge,  half- 
submerged  root.  It  might  hold  on  there  indef 
initely,  or  it  might  get  loose  at  any  moment,  swing 
wide  open,  and  set  free  the  imprisoned  wealth  of 
logs  behind  it.  As  it  was,  they  were  beginning  to 
slip  through  the  narrow  opening,  and  those  that 
had  attracted  Winn's  attention  were  sliding  down 
stream  as  stealthily  as  so  many  escaped  convicts. 

The  boy's  first  impulse  was  to  run  towards  the 
house,  calling  his  father  and  the  mill-hands  as  he 
went.  His  second,  and  the  one  upon  which  he 
acted,  was  to  mend  the  broken  boom  and  capture 
the  truant  logs  himself.  "There  is  no  need  of 
troubling  father,  and  I  can  do  it  alone  better  than 
any  number  of  those  clumsy  mill-hands,"  he 
thought.  "  Besides,  there  is  no  time  to  spare ;  for 
if  the  boom  once  lets  go  of  that  snag,  we  shall  lose 
half  the  logs  behind  it." 

Thus  thinking,  Winn  ran  around  the  mill  and 
sprang  aboard  the  raft  that  lay  just  below  it. 
Glancing  about  for  a  stout  rope,  his  eye  lighted  on 
the  line  by  which  the  raft  was  made  fast  to  a  tree. 
"The  very  thing!"  he  exclaimed.  "While  it's 
aground  here  the  raft  doesn't  need  a  cable  any  more 
tli an  I  need  a  check-rein,  and  I  told  father  so.  He 
said  there  wasn't  any  harm  in  taking  a  precaution, 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  13 

and  that  the  water  might  rise  unexpectedly.  As  if 
there  was  a  chance  of  it !  There  hasn't  been  any 
rain  for  two  months,  and  isn't  likely  to  be  any  for 
another  yet  to  come." 

While  these  thoughts  were  spinning  through  the 
boy's  brain,  he  was  casting  loose  the  cable  at  both 
ends  and  stowing  it  in  his  own  little  dugout  that 
was  moored  to  the  outer  side  of  the  raft.  Then 
with  strong  deep  strokes  he  paddled  swiftly  up 
stream  towards  the  broken  boom.  After  fifteen 
minutes  of  hard  work  he  had  secured  one  end  of 
the  cable  to  that  part  of  the  boom  resting  against 
the  snag,  carried  the  other  to  and  around  a  tree  on 
the  bank,  back  again  to  the  boom,  and  then  to  the 
inshore  end  of  the  broken  chain.  Thus  he  not 
only  secured  the  boom  against  opening  any  wider, 
but  closed  the  exit  already  made. 

"  That's  as  good  a  job  as  any  of  them  could  have 
done,"  he  remarked  to  himself,  regarding  his  work 
through  the  gathering  gloom  with  great  satisfac 
tion.  "  Now  for  the  fellows  that  got  away." 

It  was  a  much  harder  task  to  capture  and  tow 
back  those  three  truant  logs  than  it  had  been  to  re 
pair  the  boom.  It  was  such  hard  work,  and  the  dark 
ness  added  so  much  to  its  difficulties,  that  almost 
any  other  boy  would  have  given  it  up  in  despair,  and 
allowed  the  three  logs  to  escape.  But  Winn  Caspar 
was  not  inclined  to  give  up  anything  he  had  once 


14  Raftmates : 

undertaken.  Having  determined  to  do  a  certain 
thing,  he  would  stick  to  it  "  like  a  dog  to  a  root," 
as  one  of  the  mill-hands  had  said  of  him.  So  those 
logs  had  to  go  back  inside  of  that  boom,  because 
Winn  had  made  up  his  mind  that  they  should ; 
but  they  went  so  reluctantly,  and  gave  him  so 
much  trouble,  that  it  was  long  after  dark  and  some 
hours  past  supper- time  before  the  job  was  com 
pleted. 

When  Winn  at  length  returned  to  the  raft  he 
was  wet,  tired,  and  hungry,  though  very  proud  of 
his  accomplished  task.  He  was  shivering  too,  now 
that  his  violent  exertions  were  ended,  for  the  sky 
had  become  overcast,  and  a  chill  wind  was  moan 
ing  through  the  pine-trees. 

"  I  wonder  if  I  can't  find  something  to  eat 
here?"  he  said  to  himself.  "I'm  good  and  hungry, 
that's  a  fact,  and  they  must  have  had  supper  up  at 
the  house  long  ago."  Entering  the  "  shanty,"  and 
feeling  carefully  about,  the  boy  at  length  found 
matches  and  lighted  a  lamp. 

Hello  !  There  was  plenty  to  eat ;  in  fact,  there 
was  a  regular  spread  at  one  end  of  the  table,  with 
plate,  cup  and  saucer,  knife,  fork,  and  napkin,  all 
neatly  arranged  as  though  he  were  expected. 
"What  does  it  mean?"  thought  Winn;  and  then 
his  eye  fell  on  a  bit  of  folded  paper  lying  in  the 
plate.  It  was  a  note  which  read  as  follows : 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  Id 

BROTHER, — As  you  didn't  come  home 
to  supper,  I  thought  perhaps  you  were  going  to 
spend  the  night  on  the  raft,  and  so  brought  yours 
down  here.  You  can  heat  the  tea  on  the  stove. 
I'm  awfully  sorry  I  said  anything  to  make  you 
feel  badly.  Please  forget  it,  and  forgive  your  lov 
ing  sister,  ELTA." 

"  Bless  her  dear  heart !"  cried  the  boy.  "  She  is 
the  best  sister  in  the  world.  The  idea  of  her  ask 
ing  my  forgiveness,  when  it  is  I  who  should  ask 
hers.  And  I  will  ask  it,  too,  the  very  minute  I  see 
her ;  for  I  shall  never  be  happy  until  we  have 
kissed  and  made  up,  as  we  used  to  say  when  we 
were  young  ones.  I  guess,  though,  I'll  eat  the 
supper  she  has  brought  me  first.  And  that's  a 
good  idea  about  heating  the  tea,  too.  I  can  get 
dry  by  the  stove  at  the  same  time.  I'll  have  a 
chance  to  see  Elta  before  bedtime,  and  she'd  feel 
badly  if  I  didn't  eat  her  supper  anyway." 

All  of  which  goes  to  show  how  very  little  we 
know  of  what  even  the  immediate  future  may 
bring  forth,  and  that  if  we  put  off  for  a  single 
hour  doing  that  which  ought  to  be  done  at  once, 
what  a  likelihood  there  is  that  we  may  never  have 
a  chance  to  do  it. 


CHAPTER  in. 

A  MUD-BESPATTERED  ARRIVAL  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

ACTING  upon  the  suggestion  contained  in  Elta's 
note,  Winn  lighted  a  fire  in  the  galley  stove,  and 
was  soon  enjoying  its  cheery  warmth.  When  the 
tea  was  heated,  he  ate  heartily  of  the  supper  so 
thoughtfully  provided  by  the  dear  girl,  and  his 
heart  grew  very  tender  as  he  thought  of  her  and 
of  her  unwearying  love  for  him.  "  I  ought  to  go 
and  find  her  this  very  minute,"  he  said  to  him 
self  ;  "  but  I  must  get  dry  first,  and  there  probably 
isn't  any  fire  up  at  the  house. 

To  while  away  the  few  minutes  that  he  intended 
remaining  on  the  raft,  Winn  got  one  of  the  books 
of  exploration  from  a  shelf  in  the  little  after-room, 
and  was  quickly  buried  in  the  heart  of  an  African 
forest.  Completely  lost  to  his  surroundings,  and 
absorbed  in  tales  of  the  wild  beasts  and  wilder  men 
of  the  Dark  Continent,  the  boy  read  on  and  on 
until  the  failing  light  warned  him  that  his  lamp 
was  about  to  go  out  for  want  of  oil. 

He  yawned  as  he  finally  closed  the  book.  "  My ! 
how  sleepy  I  am,  and  how  late  it  must  be,"  he 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River.     17 

said.  "How  the  wind  howls,  too!  It  sounds  as 
if  we  were  going  to  have  a  storm.  I  only  hope  it 
will  bring  plenty  of  rain  and  high- water.  Then 
good-bye  to  home,  and  hurrah  for  the  great  river !" 

By  this  chain  of  thought  Winn  was  again  re 
minded  of  El tu,  and  of  the  forgiveness  he  had 
meant  to  secure  from  her  that  evening.  "It  is 
too  late  now,  though,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  She 
must  have  gone  to  bed  long  ago,  and  I  guess  I 
might  as  well  do  the  same;  but  I'll  see  her  the 
very  first  thing  in  the  morning." 

With  this  the  tired  boy  blew  out  the  expiring 
flame  of  his  lamp,  and  tumbled  into  his  bunk, 
where  in  another  minute  he  was  as  sound  asleep 
as  ever  in  his  life. 

In  the  mean  time  the  high-water  for  which  he 
hoped  so  earnestly  was  much  nearer  at  hand  than 
either  he  or  any  one  else  supposed.  The  storm 
now  howling  through  the  pines  had  been  raging  for 
hours  about  the  head-waters  of  the  creek,  and  the 
deluge  of  rain  by  which  it  was  accompanied  was 
sweeping  steadily  down-stream  towards  the  great 
river.  Even  as  Winn  sat  by  the  stove  reading,  the 
first  of  the  swelling  waters  began  to  rise  along  the 
sides  of  the  raft,  and  by  the  time  the  storm  broke 
overhead  the  Venture  was  very  nearly  afloat. 

Although  Winn  slept  too  soundly  to  be  dis 
turbed  by  either  wind  or  rain,  the  storm  awoke 


18  Raftmcutes : 

Major  Caspar,  who  listened  for  some  time  to  this 
announcement  that  the  hour  for  setting  forth  on 
his  long-projected  journey  was  at  hand.  He  had 
no  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the  raft,  for  he  re 
membered  the  stout  cable  by  which  he  had  secured 
it,  and  congratulated  himself  upon  the  precaution 
thus  taken.  "  Besides,  Winn  is  aboard,"  he  re 
flected,  "and  he  is  almost  certain  to  rouse  us  all 
with  the  joyful  news  the  minute  he  finds  that  the 
raft  is  afloat."  Thus  reassuring  himself,  the 
Major  turned  over  and  went  comfortably  to  sleep. 

Elta  knew  nothing  of  the  storm  until  morning, 
but  hearing  the  rain  the  moment  she  awoke,  she  too 
recognized  it  as  the  signal  for  the  Ventures  speedy 
departure.  From  her  window  she  had  heretofore 
been  able  to  see  one  corner  of  the  raft;  but  now, 
peering  out  through  the  driving  rain  that  caused 
the  forest  depths  to  appear  blue  and  dim,  she  could 
not  discover  it.  With  a  slight  feeling  of  uneasi 
ness,  she  hastily  dressed,  and  went  to  Winn's  door. 
There  was  no  answer  to  her  knock.  She  peeped  in. 
Winn  was  not  there,  nor  had  the  bed  been  occupied. 

"  He  did  spend  the  night  on  the  raft,  then,  and 
so  of  course  it  is  all  right,"  thought  the  girl,  greatly 
relieved  at  this  discovery.  "  The  Venture  must  be 
afloat,  though.  I  wonder  if  father  knows  it  ?" 

Just  then  Major  Caspar  appeared,  evidently 
prepared  to  face  the  storm. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  19 

"Well,  little  daughter,"  he  said,  "  high  -  water 
has  come  at  last,  and  the  time  of  our  departure  is 
at  hand.  I  am  going  down  to  see  what  Winn 
thinks  of  it." 

"  Oh,  can't  I  go  with  you,  papa  ?  I  should  dearly 
love  to !"  cried  Elta. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  hesitated  the  Major.  "  I 
suppose  you  might  if  you  were  rigged  for  it." 

This  permission  was  sufficient,  and  the  active 
girl  bounded  away  full  of  glee  at  the  prospect  of  a 
battle  with  the  storm,  and  of  surprising  Winn  on 
the  raft.  Three  minutes  later  she  reappeared,  clad 
in  rubber  boots  and  a  water-proof  cloak,  the  hood 
of  which,  drawn  over  her  head,  framed  her  face  in 
the  most  bewitching  manner. 

The  Major  attempted  to  protect  her  still  further 
with  a  large  umbrella;  but  they  had  hardly  left  the 
house  before  a  savage  gust  swooped  down  and  glee 
fully  rendered  it  useless  by  turning  it  inside  out. 
Casting  the  umbrella  aside,  the  Major  clasped  Elta's 
hand  firmly  in  his.  Then  with  bowed  heads  the 
two  pushed  steadily  on  towards  the  river- bank, 
while  the  wind  scattered  bits  of  their  merry  laugh 
ter  far  and  wide. 

It  took  them  but  a  few  minutes  to  reach  the 
little  stream,  when  their  laughter  was  suddenly 
silenced.  There  was  the  place  where  the  Venture 
had  been  put  together,  there  was  the  tree  to  which 


W  Baftmates : 

it  had  been  so  securely  moored ;  but  the  raft  that 
had  grown  into  being  and  become  a  familiar  sight 
at  that  point  no  longer  occupied  it,  nor  was  it 
anywhere  to  be  seen.  Only  a  flood  of  turbid 
waters,  fully  two  feet  higher  than  they  had  been 
the  evening  before,  swept  over  the  spot,  and 
seemed  to  beckon  mockingly  towards  the  great 
river. 

"  Why,  the  raft  has  gone !"  exclaimed  Elta,  in 
a  dismayed  voice. 

"  It  certainly  has,"  answered  the  Major,  grimly  ; 
"  and  as  it  cannot  possibly  have  floated  up-stream, 
it  must  have  gone  towards  the  Mississippi.  I  only 
hope  that  Winn  managed  in  some  way  to  check 
and  hold  it  before  it  reached  the  big  water ;  other 
wise  we  may  have  a  merry  hunt  for  it." 

While  he  spoke  they  had  been  hurrying  to  a 
point  a  short  distance  down-stream,  around  which 
the  creek  made  a  bend.  From  here  they  could 
Command  a  view  of  half  a  mile  of  its  course,  and 
jomewhere  along  this  stretch  of  water  they  hoped 
to  see  the  raft  safely  moored.  They  were,  how 
ever,  doomed  to  disappointment ;  for  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see  there  was  no  sign  of  the  missing 
craft.  Full  of  conjectures  and  forebodings  of  evil 
they  reluctantly  turned  back  towards  the  house. 

Ti;e  mill-uands,  some  of  whom  were  to  have 
tne  cve\y  of  the  Vev-ture,  had  already  dis- 


A  Story  of  tne  Great 

covered  that  it  was  gone.  Now  they  were  gathered 
at  the  house  awaiting  the  Major's  orders,  and  eager 
ly  discussing  the  situation. 

Mrs.  Caspar,  full  of  anxiety,  met  her  husband 
and  daughter  at  the  open  door,  where  she  stood,  re 
gardless  of  the  driving  rain. 

"  Oh,  John  !"  she  cried,  "  where  is  Winn  ?  What 
has  become  of  the  raft  ?  Do  you  think  anything 
can  have  happened  to  him  ?" 

"Certainly  not,"  answered  the  Major,  reassur 
ingly.  "  Nothing  serious  can  have  befallen  the 
boy  on  board  a  craft  like  that.  As  to  his  where^ 
abouts,  I  propose  to  go  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  at  once  and  discover  them.  That  is,  just  as 
soon  as  you  can  give  me  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  bite 
of  breakfast,  for  it  would  be  foolish  to  start  off 
without  those.  But  the  quicker  we  can  get  ready 
the  better.  I  shall  go  in  the  skiff,  and  take  Halrna 
and  Jan  with  me." 

Nothing  so  allays  anxiety  as  the  necessity  for 
immediate  action,  especially  when  such  action  is 
directed  towards  removing  the  cause  for  alarm. 
So  Mrs.  Caspar  and  Elta,  in  flying  about  to  prepare 
breakfast  for  the  rescuing  party,  almost  worked 
themselves  into  a  state  of  hopeful  cheerfulness. 
It  was  only  after  the  meal  had  been  hastily  eaten, 
and  the  Major  with  his  stalwart  Swedes  had  de 
parted,  that  a  reaction  came,  and  the  anxious  fears 


££  Raftmates : 

reasserted  themselves.  For  hours  they  could  do 
nothing  but  discuss  the  situation,  and  watch  for 
some  one  to  come  with  news.  Several  times  dur 
ing  the  morning  Elta  put  on  her  water-proof  and 
went  down  to  the  mill.  There  she  would  gaze  with 
troubled  eyes  at  the  ever-rising  waters,  until  re 
minded  that  her  mother  needed  comforting,  when 
she  would  return  to  the  house. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  the  girl  was  surprised 
to  see  a  saddle-horse,  bearing  evidences  of  a  hard 
journey,  standing  at  the  hitching -post  near  the 
front  door.  But  this  first  surprise  was  as  nothing 
to  the  amazement  with  which  she  beheld  her  moth 
er  clasped  in  the  arms  of  a  strange  young  man  who 
was  so  bespattered  with  mud  that  his  features  were 
hardly  recognizable.  Mrs.  Caspar  was  laughing 
and  crying  at  the  same  time,  while  both  she  and 
the  young  man  were  talking  at  once.  Near  them, 
and  regarding  this  tableau  with  the  utmost  grav 
ity,  was  a  powerful  -  looking  bull -dog,  who  would 
evidently  be  pure  white  when  washed. 

For  a  full  minute  Elta  stood  in  the  doorway 
gazing  wonderingly  at  this  strange  scene.  Then 
her  mother  caught  sight  of  the  girl's  wide-eyed 
bewilderment,  and  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter  that 
was  almost  hysterical. 

"  It's  your  uncle  William !"  she  cried,  as  soon 
as  she  could  command  her  voice.  "My  little 


A  Story  of  tlw  Great  Rwer.  23 

brother  Billy,  whom  I  haven't  seen  for  twelve 
years,  and  he  has  just  come  from  California.  Give 
him  a  kiss,  dear,  and  tell  him  how  very  glad  we 
are  to  see  him." 

Then  Elta  was  in  turn  embraced  by  the  mud- 
bespattered  young  man,  who  gravely  announced 
that  he  should  never  have  recognized  her. 

"  No  wonder,  for  she  was  only  a  baby  when  you 
last  saw  her  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Caspar ;  "  and  I'm 
sure  I  should  never  have  recognized  you  but  for 
your  voice.  I  don't  know  how  you  look  even  now, 
and  I  sha'n't  until  you  wash  your  face." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  my  face  ?  Is  it  dirty?''' 
asked  the  young  man. 

For  answer  Mrs.  Caspar  led  him  in  front  of  a 
mirror. 

"  Well,  I  should  say  it  was  dirty  !  In  fact,  dirty 
is  no  name  at  all  for  it !"  he  laughed.  "  I  believe 
I  look  about  as  bad  as  Binney  Gibbs*  did  when 
he  covered  himself  with  'mud  and  glory'  at  the 
same  time,  or  rather  when  his  mule  did  it  for 
him." 

"  Who  is  Binney  Gibbs  ?"  asked  both  Mrs.  Cas 
par  and  Elta. 

"  Binney  ?  Why,  he  is  a  young  fellow,  about 
Winn's  age,  who  went  across  the  plains  with  me 

*  See  Campmates,  by  the  same  Author. 


24     RaftTnates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  jRiver. 

a  year  ago.  By- the- way,  where  is  Winn  ?  I  want 
to  see  the  boy.  And  where  is  the  Major  ?" 

Then,  as  Mrs.  Caspar  explained  the  absence  of 
her  husband  and  son,  all  her  anxieties  returned,  so 
that  before  she  finished  her  face  again  wore  a  very 
sober  and  troubled  expression. 

"So  that  is  the  situation,  is  it?"  remarked  the 
new-comer,  reflectively.  "  I  see  that  Winn  is  not 
behind  his  age  in  getting  into  scrapes.  He  reminds 
me  of  another  young  fellow  who  went  campmates 
with  me  on  the  plains,  Glen  Matherson — no,  Eddy. 
No;  come  to  think  of  it,  his  name  is  Elting.  Well, 
any  way,  he  had  just  such  a  habit  of  getting  into 
all  sorts  of  messes ;  but  he  always  came  out  of 
each  one  bright  and  smiling,  right  side  up  with 
care,  and  ready  for  the  next." 

"  He  had  names  enough,  whoever  he  was,"  said 
Elta,  a  little  coldly ;  for  it  seemed  to  her  that  this 
flippant  young  uncle  was  rather  inclined  to  dis 
parage  her  own  dear  brother.  "  Yes,  he  certainly 
had  names  to  spare ;  but  if  he  was  half  as  well 
able  to  take  care  of  himself  as  our  Winn  is,  no  one 
ever  had  an  excuse  for  worrying  about  him." 

"  No,  indeed  !"  broke  in  the  young  man,  eagerly ; 
"  but  I  tell  you  he  was —  Why,  you  just  ought  to 
have  seen  him  when — " 

"  Here  comes  father  !"  cried  Elta,  joyfully,  run 
ning  to  throw  open  the  door  as  she  spoke. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BRACKETT  STARTS  DOWN  THE  RIVER. 

IT  needed  but  a  glance  at  Major  Caspar's  face,  as5 
dripping  and  weary,  he  entered  the  house,  to  show 
that  his  search  for  the  raft  had  been  fruitless.  His 
wife's  mother-instinct  translated  his  expression  at 
once,  and  the  quick  tears  started  to  her  eyes  as  she 
exclaimed, 

u  My  boy  !  What  has  happened  to  him  ?" 
"Nothing  serious,  you  may  rest  assured,  my  dear," 
replied  the  Major.  "  I  have  not  seen  him  ;  but  I 
have  heard  of  the  raft,  and  there  is  no  question  as 
to  its  safety.  We  reached  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
without  discovering  a  trace  of  it.  Then  we  went 
down  the  river  as  far  as  the  Elbow,  where  we 
waited  in  the  slack-water  to  hail  up-bound  steam 
boats.  The  first  had  seen  nothing  of  the  raft ;  but 
the  second,  one  of  the 4 Diamond  Jo'  boats,  reported 
that  they  had  seen  such  a  raft  —  one  with  three 
shanties  on  it  —  at  daybreak,  in  the  '  Slant  Cross 
ing,'  ten  miles  below.  If  I  could  have  got  a  down 
river  boat  I  should  have  boarded  her  and  gone  in 
pursuit,  sending  the  men  back  to  tell  you  what 


26  Raftmates : 

I  had  done.  As  we  were  unable  to  hail  the  only 
one  that  passed,  I  gave  it  up  and  came  back  to 
report  progress." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  you  did !"  cried  Mrs.  Caspar. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  the  young  stranger,  speaking 
for  the  first  time  since  the  Major's  entrance.  The 
latter  had  glanced  curiously  at  him  once  or  twice 
while  talking  to  his  wife,  but  without  a  gleam  of 
recognition.  Now,  as  he  looked  inquiringly  at  him 
again,  Mrs.  Caspar  exclaimed : 

"Why,  John,  don't  you  know  him?  It's  Will 
iam — my  own  brother  William,  just  come  from 
California." 

"  So  it  is,"  replied  the  Major,  giving  the  young 
man  a  hearty  hand -shake  —  "so  it  is,  William 
Brackett  himself.  But,  my  dear  fellow,  I  must  con 
fess  I  was  so  far  from  recognizing  you  that  I 
thought  your  name  was — " 

" '  Mud '  I  reckon,"  interrupted  the  other,  laugh 
ing;  "and  so  it  will  be  before  long,  if  I  don't 
get  a  chance  to  clean  up.  But,  Major,  by  the 
time  both  of  us  are  wrung  out  and  dried,  and  sister 
has  looked  up  some  dinner,  I'll  be  ready  to  unfold 
a  plan  that  will  make  things  look  as  bright  for  you 
and  Winn  and  the  rest  of  us  as  the  sun  that's 
breaking  away  the  clouds  is  going  to  make  the 
sky  directly." 

Mrs.  Caspar's  brother  William,  "  Billy  Brackett," 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  37 

as  all  his  friends  called  him,  was  a  young  civil  en 
gineer  of  more  than  usual  ability.  He  had  already 
gained  a  larger  stock  of  experience  and  seen  more 
of  his  own  country  than  most  men  of  his  age, 
which  was  about  twenty-six.  From  government 
work  in  the  East  and  on  the  lower  Mississippi  he 
had  gone  to  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway,  been  de 
tailed  to  accompany  an  exploring  party  across  the 
plains,  and,  after  spending  some  time  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  had  just  returned  to  the  Mississippi  Yalley — 
out  of  a  job,  to  be  sure,  but  with  the  certainty  of 
obtaining  one  whenever  he  should  want  it.  From 
the  moment  of  leaving  San  Francisco  he  had  in 
tended  making  the  Caspars  a  visit,  and  had  directed 
his  journey  towards  their  home.  In  Chicago  he 
had  run  across  an  engineering  friend  named  Ho- 
bart,  who  was  at  that  moment  regretting  the  press 
ure  of  business  that  forbade  his  trying  for  what 
promised  to  be  a  most  profitable  contract.  It  was 
one  for  furnishing  all  the  bridge  timber  to  be  used 
in  the  construction  of  a  new  railway  through  Wis 
consin.  The  bids  were  to  be  opened  in  Madison 
two  days  later.  Acting  upon  the  impulse  of  the 
moment,  Billy  Brackett  hastened  to  that  city  and 
tendered  a  bid  for  the  contract,  which,  to  his  sur 
prise,  was  accepted. 

In  doing  this  the  young  engineer  had  counted 
upon  the  assistance  of  his  brother-in-law,  from 


88  Raftmates  : 

whose  mill  he  expected  to  obtain  the  timber  he 
had  thus  contracted  to  furnish.  As  the  work  must 
be  begun  immediately,  he  hurried  on  to  the  Major's 
house  with  an  offer  of  partnership  in  this  promis 
ing  undertaking,  and  arrived  as  we  have  seen. 

"  It's  a  big  thing  Major,"  the  young  man  said  in 
conclusion,  after  explaining  these  details  at  the 
dinner-table ;  "  and  it's  not  only  a  big  thing  in  it 
self,  but  it  will  lead  to  other  contracts  equally 
good." 

"  I  should  like  nothing  better  than  to  join  you  in 
such  an  enterprise  Billy,"  replied  the  Major ;  "  but 
I  don't  see  how  I  can  go  into  it  just  now,  with  this 
affair  of  Winn  and  the  raft  on  my  hands.  You  say 
the  work  must  be  begun  at  once  ?" 

"  Yes.  It  really  should  be  started  this  very  day, 
and  it  can,  if  you'll  agree  to  the  rest  of  my  plan. 
You  see,  I've  only  told  you  the  half  I  thought  out 
before  getting  here.  Since  then  I  have  added  as 
much  more,  which  is  something  like  this:  Sup 
pose  you  and  I  change  places.  You  take  my  horse 
and  go  to  Madison  in  the  interests  of  the  con 
tract,  while  Bim  and  I  will  take  your  skiff  and 
start  down  the  river  in  the  interests  of  Winn  and 
the  raft.  You  know  a  heap  more  about  getting 
out  bridge  timber  than  I  do,  while  I  expect  I 
know  more  about  river  rafting  than  you  do.  Not 
£hat  I'm  anything  of  a  raftsman,"  he  added,  mod 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  29 

estly,  "  but  I  picked  up  a  good  bit  of  knowledge 
concerning  the  river  while  on  that  government  job 
down  in  Arkansas.  If  you'll  only  give  me  the 
chance,  I'll  guarantee  to  find  the  raft  and  navigate 
it  to  any  port  you  may  choose  to  name — Dubuque, 
St.  Louis,  Cairo,  New  Orleans,  or  even  across  the 
briny — with  such  a  chap  as  I  know  your  Winn 
must  be  for  a  mate.  When  we  reach  our  destina 
tion  we  can  telegraph  for  you,  and  you  can  arrange 
the  sale  of  the  ship  and  cargo  yourself.  As  for 
me,  I've  had  so  much  of  dry  land  lately  that 
I'm  just  longing  for  a  home  on  the  rolling  deep, 
the  life  of  a  sailor  free,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  What  do  you  say?  Isn't  my  scheme  a 
good  one?" 

"I  declare  I  believe  it  is !"  exclaimed  the  Major, 
who  had  caught  a  share  of  his  young  kinsman's 
enthusiasm,  and  whose  face  had  visibly  brightened 
during  the  unfolding  of  his  plans.  "Not  only 
that,  but  I  believe  your  companionship  with  Winn 
on  this  river  trip,  and  your  example,  will  be  infi 
nitely  better  for  him  than  mine.  I  have  noticed 
that  young  people  are  much  more  apt  to  be  in 
fluenced  by  those  only  a  few  years  older  than 
themselves  than  they  are  by  persons  whose  ideas 
they  may  regard  as  antiquated  or  old-fogyish." 

"  Oh,  papa,  how  can  you  say  so  ?"  cried  Elta, 
springing  up  and  throwing  her  arms  about  his 


SO  Raftmates : 

neck.  "  How  can  you  say  that  you  could  ever  be 
an  old  fogy?" 

"  Perhaps  I'm  not,  dear,  to  you,"  answered  the 
Major,  smiling  at  his  daughter's  impetuosity ;  "but 
to  young  fellows  mingling  with  the  world  for  the 
first  time  nothing  pertaining  to  the  past  seems  of 
any  value  as  compared  with  the  present  or  imme 
diate  future.  Consequently  a  companion  who  is 
near  enough  of  an  age  to  sympathize  with  the  pur 
suits  and  feelings  of  such  a  one  can  influence  him 
more  strongly  than  a  person  whose  thoughts  are 
oftener  with  the  past  than  with  the  future." 

"  I  can't  bear  to  hear  you  talk  so,  husband,"  said 
Mrs.  Caspar.  "  As  if  our  Winn  wouldn't  be  more 
readily  influenced  by  his  own  father  and  mother 
than  by  any  one  else  in  the  world !  At  the  same 
time,  I  think  William's  plan  well  worth  considering, 
for  I  have  hated  the  idea  of  that  raft  trip  for  you. 
I  have  dreaded  being  left  alone  here  with  only 
Elta,  too,  though  I  wouldn't  say  so  when  I  thought 
there  wasn't  anything  else  to  be  done." 

With  this  unanimous  acceptance  of  the  young 
engineer's  plan,  it  took  but  a  short  time  to  arrange 
its  details,  and  before  dark  everything  was  settled. 
The  Major  was  to  leave  for  Madison  the  next  morn 
ing,  while  Billy  Brackett  was  to  start  down  the 
creek  that  very  evening,  so  as  to  be  ready  at  day 
light  to  begin  his  search  for  the  missinsr  raft  at  the 


A  Story  of  the  Great  fiiver.  31 

point  where  it  had  been  last  reported.  By  his  own 
desire  he  was  to  go  alone  in  the  skiff,  except  for 
the  companionship  of  his  trusty  Bim,  who  made  a 
point  of  accompanying  his  master  everywhere. 
The  young  man  was  provided  with  an  open  letter 
from  Major  Caspar,  giving  him  full  authority  to 
take  charge  of  the  raft  and  do  with  it  as  he  saw  fit. 

Both  Mrs.  Caspar  and  Elta  wrote  notes  to  Winn, 
and  gave  them  to  Billy  Brackett  to  deliver.  The 
major  also  wrote  a  line  of  introduction  to  an  old 
soldier  who  had  been  his  most  devoted  follower 
during  the  war.  He  was  now  living  with  a  mar 
ried  niece  near  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  might  possibly 
prove  of  assistance  during  the  search  for  the  raft. 

Thus  equipped,  provided  with  a  stock  of  provi 
sions,  and  a  minute  description  of  both  the  raft 
and  of  Winn,  whom  he  did  not  hope  to  recognize, 
the  young  engineer  and  his  four-footed  companion 
set  forth  soon  after  supper  on  their  search  for  the 
missing  boy.  An  hour  later  they  too  were  being 
swept  southward  by  the  resistless  current  of  the 
great  river. 


CHAPTER  V 

HOW  THE  VOYAGE  WAS  BEGUN 

WHEN  Winn  Caspar  turned  into  his  comfort 
able  bunk  aboard  the  raft  on  the  night  of  the 
storm,  it  never  once  occurred  to  him  that  the 
Venture  might  float  before  morning.  She  never 
had  floated,  and  she  seemed  so  hard  and  fast 
aground  that  he  imagined  a  rise  of  several  feet  of 
water  would  be  necessary  to  move  her.  It  had 
not  yet  rained  where  he  was,  and  the  thought  that 
it  might  be  raining  higher  up  the  stream  did  not 
enter  his  mind.  So  he  went  comfortably  to  bed, 
and  slept  like  a  top  for  several  hours.  Finally,  he 
was  awakened  so  suddenly  that  he  sprang  from  the 
bunk,  and  by  the  time  his  eyes  were  fairly  opened, 
was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  listening 
to  a  strange  creaking  and  scratching  on  the  roof 
above  his  head.  It  had  aroused  him,  and  now  as 
he  listened  to  it,  and  tried  in  vain  to  catch  a  single 
gleam  of  light  through  the  intense  darkness,  it 
was  so  incomprehensible  and  uncanny,  that  brave 
boy  as  he  was,  he  felt  shivers  creeping  over  his 
arms  and  back. 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Jtiver.     S3 

Could  the  sounds  be  made  by  an  animal  ?  Winn 
knew  there  were  wild  -  cats  and  an  occasional 
panther  in  the  forests  bordering  the  creek.  If  it 
was  caused  by  wild-cats  there  must  be  at  least  a 
dozen  of  them,  and  he  had  never  heard  of  as  many 
as  that  together.  Besides,  wild-cats  wouldn't  make 
such  sounds.  They  might  spit  and  snarl ;  but 
certainly  no  one  had  ever  heard  them  squeak  and 
groan.  All  at  once  there  came  a  great  swishing 
overhead  and  then  all  was  still,  save  for  the  howl 
ing  of  the  wind  and  the  roar  of  a  deluge  of  rain 
which  Winn  now  heard  for  the  first  time. 

The  boy  felt  his  way  into  the  forward  room  and 
opened  the  door  to  look  out,  but  was  greeted  by 
guch  a  fierce  rush  of  wind  and  rain  that  he  was 
thankful  for  the  strength  that  enabled  him  to  close 
it  again.  Mingled  with  the  other  sounds  of  the 
storm,  Winn  now  began  to  distinguish  that  of 
waves  plashing  on  the  deck  of  the  raft.  Certainly 
his  surroundings  had  undergone  some  extraordi 
nary  change  since  he  turned  in  for  the  night,  but 
what  it  wae  passed  the  boy's  comprehension. 

After  a  long  search  he  found  a  box  of  matches 
and  lighted  the  lamp,  forgetting  that  all  its  oil 
had  been  exhausted  the  evening  before.  It  burned 
for  a  few  minutes  with  a  sickly  flame,  and  then 
went  out.  Even  that  feeble  light  had  been  a  com 
fort.  It  had  showed  him  that  everything  was  still 


$4  Eaftmates  : 

all  right  inside  the  "  shanty,"  besides  enabling  him 
to  find  and  put  on  the  clothes  that  he  had  hung 
near  the  stove  to  dry.  As  he  finished  dressing 
and  was  again  standing  in  utter  darkness  puzzling 
over  his  situation,  he  was  nearly  paralyzed  by  a 
blinding  glare  of  light  that  suddenly  streamed  into 
the  window  nearest  him.  It  was  accompanied  by 
the  hoarse  roar  of  steam,  a  confusion  of  shoutings, 
and  the  loud  clangor  of  bells.  Without  a  thought 
of  the  weather,  Winn  again  flung  open  the  door 
and  rushed  into  the  open  air.  So  intense  and 
dazzling  was  the  flood  of  yellow  light,  that  he 
seemed  to  be  gazing  into  the  crater  of  an  active 
volcano.  It  flashed  by  as  suddenly  as  it  had  ap 
peared,  and  the  terrified  boy  became  aware  that  a 
big  steamboat  was  slipping  swiftly  past  the  raft, 
but  a  few  feet  from  it.  The  bewildering  glare 
had  come  from  her  roaring  furnaces  ;  and  had  not 
their  doors  been  thrown  open  just  when  they  were, 
she  would  have  crashed  at  full  speed  into  the 
raft,  with  such  consequences  as  can  easily  be 
imagined.  As  it  was  she  was  barely  able  to  sheer 
off  in  time,  and  a  score  of  voices  hurled  back  angry 
threats  at  the  supposed  crew  of  the  raft,  whose 
neglect  to  show  a  lantern  had  so  nearly  led  to 
death  and  destruction. 

So  long  as  he  could  detect  the  faintest  twinkle 
of  light  from  the  rapidly  receding  boat,  or  hear 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  S5 

the  measured  coughings  of  her  exhausted  steam, 
Winn  stood  gazing  and  listening,  regardless  of  the 
rain  that  was  drenching  him  to  the  skin.  He  was 
overwhelmed  by  a  realization  of  his  situation. 
That  steamboat  had  told  him  as  plainly  as  if  she 
had  spoken  that  the  Venture  was  not  only  afloat, 
but  had  in  some  way  reached  the  great  river,  and 
was  drifting  with  its  mighty  current.  He  had  no 
idea  of  how  long  he  had  thus  drifted,  nor  how  far 
he  was  from  home.  He  only  knew  that  the  dis 
tance  was  increasing  with  each  moment,  and  that 
until  daylight  at  least  he  was  powerless  to  help 
himself. 

As  he  turned  towards  the  door  of  the  "  shanty," 
he  stumbled  over  something,  which,  by  stooping, 
he  discovered  to  be  the  branch  of  a  tree.  To  the 
keen-witted  boy  this  was  like  the  sight  of  a  printed 
page. 

"  That  accounts  for  the  noise  on  the  roof  that 
woke  me,"  he  said  to  himself.  "The  raft  was 
passing  under  those  low  branches  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek,  and  I  can't  be  more  than  a  mile  or  so 
from  there  now." 

For  an  instant  the  idea  of  paddling  home  in  his 
canoe  and  leaving  the  raft  to  its  fate  flashed 
across  his  mind,  but  it  was  dismissed  as  promptly 
as  it  had  come.  "Not  much  I  won't!"  he  said, 
aloud.  "  I've  shipped  for  the  voyage,  and  I'm 


86  Raftmates : 

going  to  see  it  through  in  spite  of  everything. 
Besides,  it's  my  own  fault  that  I'm  in  this  fix.  If 
I  hadn't  carried  away  that  cable  this  thing  never 
could  have  happened.  What  a  fool  I  was!  But 
who  would  have  supposed  the  water  could  rise  so 
quickly  ?" 

The  thought  of  his  little  dugout  caused  the  boy 
to  wonder  if  it  were  still  attached  to  the  raft  where 
he  had  made  it  fast  the  evening  before.  Again 
he  ventured  outside  to  look  for  the  canoe,  but  the 
darkness  was  so  dense  and  the  violence  of  the 
storm  so  bewildering  that,  after  a  narrow  escape 
from  stepping  overboard,  he  realized  that  without 
a  light  of  some  kind  the  undertaking  was  too 
dangerous.  "  There  must  be  a  lantern  some 
where,"  he  thought.  "  Yes,  I  remember  seeing 
one  brought  aboard."  Finally  he  discovered  it 
hanging  near  the  stove,  and,  to  his  joy,  it  was  full 
of  oil.  By  its  aid  his  search  for  the  canoe  was 
successful,  and  he  was  delighted  to  find  it  floating 
safely  alongside,  though  half  full  of  water,  and  in 
danger  of  being  stove  against  the  timbers  of  the 
raft  by  the  waves  that  were  breaking  on  deck. 
With  infinite  labor  he  at  length  succeeded  in  haul 
ing  the  little  craft  aboard  and  securing  it  in  a 
place  of  safety.  Then,  though  he  would  gladly 
have  had  the  comfort  of  a  light  in  the  "  shanty," 
the  thought  of  his  recent  narrow  escape  warned 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  97 

him  to  guard  against  another  similar  danger  by 
running  the  lantern  to  the  top  of  the  signal-pole, 
arid  leaving  it  there  as  a  beacon. 

He  could  do  nothing  more ;  and  so,  drenched, 
chilled,  and  weary,  the  lonely  lad  crept  back  into 
the  "  shanty."  How  dreary  it  was  to  be  its  sole 
occupant !  If  he  only  had  some  one  to  talk,  plan, 
and  consult  with  !  He  felt  so  helpless  and  insig 
nificant  there  in  the  dark,  drifting  down  the  great 
river  on  a  raft  that,  without  help,  he  was  as  in 
capable  of  managing  as  a  baby.  What  ought  he 
to  do  (  What  should  he  do  ?  It  was  so  hard  to 
think  without  putting  his  thoughts  into  words. 
Even  Elta's  presence  and  counsel  would  be  a  com 
fort,  and  the  boy  laughed  bitterly  to  recall  how 
often  he  had  treated  the  dear  sister's  practical 
common -sense  with  contempt  because  she  was 
only  a  girl.  Now  how  gladly  would  he  listen  to 
her  advice !  It  was  pretty  evident  that  his  self- 
conceit  had  received  a  staggering  blow,  and  that 
self-reliance  would  be  thankful  for  the  backing 
of  another's  wisdom. 

As  Winn  sat  by  the  table,  forlorn  and  shivering, 
it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  there  was  no 
reason  why  he  should  not  have  a  fire.  There  was 
plenty  of  dry  wood.  How  stupid  he  had  been 
not  to  think  of  it  before !  Acting  upon  this  idea, 
he  quickly  had  a  cheerful  blaze  snapping  and 


38  Raftmates  : 

crackling  in  the  little  stove,  which  soon  began  to 
diffuse  a  welcome  warmth  throughout  the  room. 
By  a  glance  at  his  watch — a  small  silver  one  that 
had  been  his  father's  when  he  was  a  boy — Winn 
found  the  night  to  be  nearly  gone.  He  was  greatly 
comforted  by  the  thought  that  in  less  than  two 
hours  daylight  would  reveal  his  situation  and  give 
him  a  chance  to  do  something.  Still,  the  lonely 
waiting  was  very  tedious,  the  boy  was  weary,  and 
the  warmth  of  the  fire  made  him  sleepy.  At  first 
he  struggled  against  the  overpowering  drowsiness, 
but  finally  he  yielded  to  it,  and,  with  his  head  sunk 
on  his  folded  arms,  which  rested  on  the  table,  was 
soon  buried  in  a  slumber  as  profound  as  that  of 
the  earlier  night. 

At  daylight  the  unguided  raft  was  seen  in  the 
"  Slant  Crossing "  by  the  crew  of  an  up-bound 
steamboat,  and  they  wondered  at  the  absence  of  all 
signs  of  life  aboard  it.  Every  now  and  then  the 
drifting  mass  of  timber  touched  on  some  sand-bar 
or  reef,  but  the  current  always  swung  it  round,  so 
that  it  slid  off  and  resumed  its  erratic  voyage.  At 
length,  after  floating  swiftly  and  truly  down  a 
long  straight  chute,  the  Venture  was  seized  by  an 
eddy  at  its  foot,  revolved  slowly  several  times, 
and  then  reluctantly  dragged  into  a  false  channel 
on  the  western  side  of  a  long,  heavily  -  timbered 
island.  Half-way  down  its  length  the  raft 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  39 

"  saddle-bagged,"  as  the  river  men  say,  or  floated 
broadside  on,  against  a  submerged  rock.  It  struck 
fairly  amidship,  and  there  it  hung,  forming  a 
barrier,  around  the  ends  of  which  the  hurrying 
waters  laughed  and  gurgled  merrily. 

With  the  shock  of  the  striking  Winn  awoke, 
straightened  himself,  and  rubbed  his  eyes,  wonder 
ing  vaguely  where  he  was  and  what  had  happened. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MR  GILDER  AND  HIS  RUDE  RECEPTION. 

AFTER  emerging  from  the  "shanty,"  it  did  not 
take  the  solitary  occupant  of  the  raft  long  to  dis 
cover  the  nature  of  his  new  predicament.  The 
water  was  sufficiently  clear  for  him  to  make  out 
an  indistinct  outline  of  the  rock  on  which  the  raft 
was  hung,  and  as  the  rain  was  still  falling,  he 
quickly  regained  the  shelter  of  the  "  shanty,"  there 
to  consider  the  situation.  It  did  not  take  him 
long  to  make  up  his  mind  that  this  was  a  case  in 
which  assistance  was  absolutely  necessary,  and  that 
he  must  either  wait  for  it  to  come  to  him  or  go 
in  search  of  it.  First  of  all,  though,  he  must  have 
something  to  eat.  He  had  no  need  to  look  at  his 
watch  to  discover  that  it  was  breakfast-time.  The 
condition  of  his  appetite  told  him  that. 

Now  Winn  had  never  learned  to  cook.  He  had 
regarded  that  as  an  accomplishment  that  was  well 
enough  for  girls  to  acquire,  but  one  quite  beneath 
the  notice  of  a  man.  Besides,  cooking  was  easy 
enough,  and  any  one  could  do  it  who  had  to.  It 
was  only  necessary  to  put  things  into  a  pot  and  let 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  ike  Great  Ewer.     41 

them  boil,  or  into  an  oven  to  bake.  Of  course 
they  must  be  watched  and  taken  from  the  stove 
when  done,  bat  that  was  about  all  there  was  to 
cooking.  There  was  a  sack  of  corn-meal  in  the 
"  shanty,"  and  a  jug  of  maple  syrup.  A  dish  of 
hot  mush  would  be  the  very  thing.  Then  there 
was  coffee  already  ground;  of  course  he  would 
have  a  cup  of  coffee.  So  the  boy  made  a  roaring 
fire,  found  the  coffee-pot,  set  it  on  the  stove,  and 
filled  a  large  saucepan  with  corn-meal. 

"  There  may  be  a  little  too  much  in  there,"  he 
thought;  "but  I  can  save  what  I  can't  eat  now 
for  lunch,  and  then  fry  it,  as  mother  does." 

Having  got  thus  far  in  his  preparations,  he 
took  a  bucket  and  went  outside  for  some  water 
from  the  river.  Here  he  remained  for  a  few  min 
utes  to  gaze  at  a  distant  up-bound  steamboat,  and 
wondered  why  he  had  not  noticed  her  when  she 
passed  the  raft.  Although  the  river  seemed  some 
what  narrower  than  he  thought  it  should  be,  he 
had  no  idea  but  that  he  was  still  in  its  main  chan 
nel,  and  that  the  land  on  his  left  was  the  Wiscon 
sin  shore. 

Still  wondering  how  he  could  have  missed  see 
ing,  or  at  least  hearing,  the  steamboat,  the  boy  re- 
entered  the  "  shanty."  Thinking  of  steamboats 
rather  than  of  cooking,  he  began  to  pour  water 
into  the  saucepan  of  meal,  which  at  once  began  to 


42  Raftmates : 

run  over.  Thus  recalled  to  his  duties,  he  removed 
half  of  the  wet  meal  to  another  pan,  filled  it  with 
water,  and  set  both  pans  on  the  stove.  Then 
he  poured  a  stream  of  cold  water  into  the  coffee 
pot,  which  by  this  time  was  almost  red-hot.  The 
effect  was  as  distressing  as  it  was  unexpected.  A 
cloud  of  scalding  steam  rushed  up  into  his  face 
and  filled  the  room,  the  coffee-pot  rolled  to  the 
floor  with  a  clatter,  and  there  was  such  a  furious 
hissing  and  sputtering  that  poor  Winn  dropped 
his  bucket  of  water  and  staggered  towards  the 
door,  fully  convinced  that  he  was  the  victim  of  a 
boiler  explosion. 

When  the  cloud  of  steam  cleared  away,  the  boy 
ruefully  surveyed  the  scene  of  disaster,  and  won 
dered  what  had  gone  wrong.  "  I'm  sure  nothing 
of  the  kind  ever  happened  in  mother's  kitchen," 
he  said  to  himself.  In  spite  of  his  smarting  face, 
he  determined  not  to  be  daunted  by  this  first  mis 
hap,  but  to  try  again.  So  he  wiped  the  floor 
with  a  table-cloth,  drew  another  bucket  of  water 
from  the  river,  and  resolved  to  proceed  with  the 
utmost  care  this  time.  To  his  dismay,  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  up  the  coffee-pot,  he  found  that  it 
had  neither  bottom  nor  spout,  but  was  a  total  and 
useless  wreck.  "  What  a  leaky  old  thing  it  must 
have  been,"  soliloquized  the  boy. 

Just  then  his  attention  was  attracted  by  another 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  4$ 

hissing  sound  from  the  stove  and  a  smell  of  burn 
ing.  Two  yellow  streams  were  pouring  over  the 
sides  of  the  saucepans. 

"  Hello !"  cried  Winn,  as  he  seized  a  spoon  and 
began  ladling  a  portion  of  the  contents  from  each 
into  a  third  pan.  "  How  ever  did  these  things  get 
full  again  ?  I'm  sure  I  left  lots  of  room  in  them." 

At  that  moment  the  contents  of  all  three  pans 
began  to  burn,  and  he  filled  them  with  water.  A 
few  minutes  later  all  three  began  to  bubble  over, 
and  he  got  more  pans.  Before  he  was  through 
with  that  mush,  every  available  inch  of  space  on 
the  stove  was  covered  with  pans  of  it,  the  dis 
gusted  cook  was  liberally  bedaubed  with  it,  and  so 
was  the  floor.  The  contents  of  some  of  the  pans 
were  burned  black ;  others  were  as  weak  as  gruel ; 
all  were  lumpy,  and  all  were  insipid  for  want  of  salt. 

For  a  moment  Winn,  hot,  cross,  and  smarting 
from  many  scalds  and  burns,  reviewed  the  results  of 
his  first  attempt  at  preparing  a  meal  with  a  comi 
cal  expression,  in  which  wrath  and  disgust  were 
equally  blended.  Then,  yielding  to  an  impulse  of 
anger,  he  picked  up  one  of  the  messes  and  flung 
it,  pan  and  all,  out  through  the  open  door.  He 
was  stooping  to  seize  the  next,  which  he  proposed 
to  treat  in  a  similar  manner,  when  a  hand  was  laid 
on  his  shoulder,  and  he  was  almost  petrified  with 
amazement  by  hearing  a  voice  exclaim : 


44  Rctftmates : 

"  Hold  on,  young  man !  One  at  a  time  is 
enough.  It's  very  pleasant  to  be  greeted  warmly, 
but  there  is  such  a  thing  as  too  warm  a  reception. 
I'll  allow  you  didn't  see  me  coming,  though  if  I 
thought  you  did,  I'd  chuck  you  overboard  for  that 
caper." 

The  speaker,  who  stood  in  the  doorway  striving 
to  remove  the  mess  of  sticky  mush  that  had  struck 
him  full  in  the  breast  and  now  covered  a  large 
portion  of  his  body,  including  his  face,  was  a  man 
of  middle  age  and  respectable  appearance,  clad  in 
a  rubber  suit  and  a  slouched  hat. 

Filled  with  shame  and  contrition  at  this  unex 
pected  result  of  his  foolish  action,  Winn  was  pro 
fuse  in  his  apologies,  and  picking  up  the  useful 
table-cloth  that  had  already  served  him  in  one 
emergency,  stepped  forward  with  an  offer  of  as 
sistance.  The  stranger  waved  him  back,  and  re 
moved  the  greater  part  of  the  mess  by  taking  off 
his  rubber  coat.  At  the  same  time  he  said  : 

"  There's  no  harm  done,  and  worse  might  have 
happened.  You  might  have  been  pitching  stove 
lids,  or  hot  soup,  or  knives  and  forks,  you  know. 
So,  you  see,  I'm  to  be  congratulated  on  getting  off 
as  well  as  I  have.  But  where  is  the  boss  of  this 
raft,  and  the  crew  ?  How  did  you  happen  to  run 
in  here  out  of  the  channel  ?  You  are  not  alone, 
are  you  ?" 


A  Story  of  the  Great  JRiver.  46 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Winn.  "  I'm  captain  and 
crew  and  everything  else  just  at  present — except 
ing  cook,"  he  added,  hastily,  as  he  noted  the 
stranger's  amused  glance  at  the  stove  and  its  sur 
roundings. 

"  Who  is  cook,  then  P 

"  There  isn't  any,"  answered  Winn ;  and  for 
that  reason  there  isn't  any  breakfast,  nor  likely  to 
be  any,  for  I'll  starve  before  I  try  my  hand  at  it 
again." 

"  There  seems  to  be  plenty  of  breakfast,  such  as 
it  is,"  said  the  stranger,  gravely,  indicating  by  a 
glance  the  many  pans  of  spoiled  mush.  Then  see 
ing  that  the  boy  was  really  in  distress,  and  not  in 
a  joking  humor,  he  added,  "  But  let  me  help  you 
set  things  to  rights,  and  then  I'll  see  if  I  can't 
show  you  how  to  get  up  some  sort  of  a  breakfast. 
I'm  not  a  regular  cook,  as  perhaps  you  may  guess; 
but  then,  again,  I  am  one,  in  a  way,  as  all  we  river- 
traders  have  to  be." 

"  Are  you  a  river-trader  fc"  asked  Winn. 

"  Yes ;  and  there  are  three  of  us.  But  I'll  tell 
you  all  about  it,  and  you  shall  tell  me  your  story 
after  we've  had  breakfast." 

To  Winn,  the  expeditious  manner  in  which  his 
recent  culinary  disasters  were  repaired  and  a  sim 
ple  but  well-cooked  breakfast  was  made  ready  by 
this  stranger  was  a  source  of  undisguised  admira- 


46  Raftmates : 

tion.  Even  coffee,  clear  and  strong,  was  made  in 
a  tin  can.  One  edge  of  the  can  was  bent  into  the 
form  of  a  rude  spout ;  then  it  was  filled  two-thirds 
with  water,  and  set  on  the  stove.  When  the  water 
came  to  a  boil,  half  a  cupful  of  ground  coffee, 
tied  loosely  in  a  bit  of  clean  muslin,  was  dropped 
into  it,  and  allowed  to  boil  for  three  minutes.  A 
kind  of  biscuit  made  of  flour,  water,  shortening, 
baking-powder,  and  salt,  well  mixed,  and  rolled 
thin,  was  quickly  baked,  first  on  one  side  and  then 
on  the  other,  in  an  iron  skillet  on  top  of  the 
stove.  At  the  same  time  a  single  cupful  of  corn- 
meal,  well  salted,  and  boiled  for  half  an  hour,  fur 
nished  a  large  dish  of  smoking  mush.  Half  a  dozen 
thin  slices  of  bacon  broiled  on  a  toaster  completed 
what  Winn  enthusiastically  declared  was  the  very 
best  breakfast  he  had  ever  eaten.  Still,  the  boy 
was  so  ravenously  hungry  that  it  is  probable  even 
his  own  burned  and  lumpy  mixture  of  corn-meal 
would  not  have  tasted  so  bad  as  it  looked. 

While  he  was  busy  with  the  breakfast,  the 
stranger,  who  said  his  name  was  Gilder,  talked 
pleasantly  on  many  subjects.  At  the  same  time  he 
managed  somehow  to  learn  all  about  Winn  and 
his  family,  the  raft  and  how  it  happened  to  be 
where  it  was,  without  giving  a  single  item  of  in 
formation  concerning  himself  in  return. 

When  Winn  finally  declared  that  he  could  eat 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  Rwer.  47 

no  more,  Mr.  Gilder  also  pushed  back  his  chair,  and 

said : 

"  Now,  then,  for  business.  First,  I  must  tell  you 
that  you  are  in  a  very  serious  predicament.  I  ex 
amined  the  position  of  this  raft  before  coming 
aboard,  and  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  both  it 
and  its  cargo  are  in  a  fair  way  of  becoming  a  total 
loss.  As  soon  as  the  river  falls  again,  which  it  is 
likely  to  do  at  any  time,  the  raft  will  probably 
break  in  pieces  of  its  own  weight.  In  that  case 
you  would  lose  both  it  and  your  wheat.  The  only 
plan  I  can  suggest  for  saving  the  raft  is  to  lighten 
it  until  it  floats  clear  of  the  rock  on  which  it  is 
hung,  by  throwing  the  wheat  overboard ;  or,  if  you 
can  manage  it,  land  your  wheat  on  the  island, 
where  it  can  remain  until  you  can  take  it  away. 
Of  course  the  decision  as  to  which  of  these  things 
you  will  do  rests  entirely  with  yourself ;  but  you 
must  make  up  your  mind  quickly,  for  with  this 
uncertain  state  of  water  there  isn't  an  hour  to  lose. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  GANG  OF  "RIVER-TRADERS.1* 

FOR  a  whole  minute  Winn  sat  silent,  while  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  table  Mr.  Gilder  regarded 
his  perplexed  countenance  with  an  expression  that 
was  not  altogether  pleasant.  Winn,  suddenly  look 
ing  up  from  his  hard  thinking,  was  a  bit  startled 
by  it ;  but  as  it  instantly  melted  into  one  of  smil 
ing  sympathy,  his  confidence  in  the  man  remained 
unbroken.  Had  he  seen  Mr.  Gilder  two  hours  ear 
lier,  instead  of  one,  his  opinion  of  the  individual 
who  had  just  prepared  such  a  capital  breakfast, 
expressed  so  great  friendliness,  and  now  showed 
him  so  plainly  the  unpleasant  predicament  into 
which  he  had  fallen,  would  have  been  decidedly 
different. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Gilder  was  kneeling  beside  an 
opening  in  the  floor  of  a  log-hut,  in  the  centre  of 
the  island,  and  lifting  from  it  a  tray  of  odd-looking 
but  beautifully  made  tools.  The  hut  was  small 
and  rudely  constructed.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
dense  forest  growth,  and  stood  in  a  tiny  clearing 
from  which  no  road  or  trail  could  be  seen  to  lead. 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River.     49 

All  its  appointments  were  of  the  most  primitive 
description,  and  yet  a  single  glance  into  its  interior 
would  have  impressed  one  with  the  belief  that  its 
occupants  were  millionaires.  The  effect  of  piles 
and  stacks  of  greenbacks,  enough  to  form  the  cap 
ital  of  a  city  bank  or  till  the  vaults  of  a  sub-treas 
ury,  amid  such  surroundings,  would  certainly  have 
Btartled  even  those  accustomed  to  the  handling  of 
great  wealth.  The  bills,  all  of  which  were  new 
and  crisp,  were  done  up  in  neat  packages,  each  of 
which  was  marked  with  the  number  of  hundreds 
or  thousands  of  dollars  it  contained.  In  one  corner 
of  the  room  stood  a  small  printing-press  of  exqui 
site  make.  Besides  this  press,  a  work-bench,  table, 
and  several  rude  stools,  the  single  room  of  the  hut 
contained  only  the  piles  of  greenbacks. 

A  man  sat  beside  the  table  counting  and  sorting 
a  large  number  of  bills,  the  worn  appearance  of 
which  showed  them  to  have  been  in  active  circula 
tion  for  some  time.  This  man  was  small,  and  had 
a  weazened  face  devoid  of  hair  except  for  a  pair  of 
bushy,  iron-gray  eyebrows,  beneath  which  his  eyes 
gleamed  as  cunningly  bright  as  those  of  a  fox.  He 
answered  to  the  name  of  Grimshaw;  and  as  he 
counted  bills  with  the  deftness  and  rapidity  of  a 
bank  cashier,  he  also  paid  a  certain  amount  of  at 
tention  to  the  remarks  of  his  companion,  who  was 
talking  earnestly. 


50  Haftmate* : 

"  I  tell  yon  what  it  is,  Grim,"  the  other  wag 
saying,  as  he  bent  over  the  secret  opening  in  the 
floor,  "  it's  high  time  we  were  moving.  This  is 
a  first-class  location,  and  we've  done  well  here ;  but 
you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  our  business  re 
quires  a  pretty  frequent  change  of  scene,  and  I'm 
afraid  we've  stayed  here  too  long  already.  One  of 
those  mill  fellows  said  only  yesterday  that  we 
must  have  collected  a  powerful  lot  of  stuff  by  this 
time,  and  asked  if  we  weren't  about  ready  to  invite 
him  up  to  inspect  and  bid  on  it.  I  told  him  we 
were  thinking  of  putting  it  into  a  raft  and  taking 
it  down-river.  Never  had  such  an  idea,  you 
know,  but  the  notion  just  popped  into  my  head, 
and  I'm  not  sure  now  but  what  it's  as  good  a  one 
as  we'll  strike.  "What  do  you  think  ?" 

"  It  '11  take  a  heap  of  hard  work,  and  more  time 
than  I  for  one  want  to  spare,  to  build  a  raft  large 
enough  for  our  purpose,"  answered  Grimshaw. 
"  Still,  I  don't  know  as  the  idea  is  wholly  bad." 

"It  would  take  time,  that's  a  fact,"  answered 
Mr.  Gilder,  lifting  his  tray  of  tools  to  the  table 
and  proceeding  to  polish  some  of  them  with  a  bit 
of  buckskin.  "  And  it  looks  as  though  time  wag 
going  to  be  an  object  with  us  shortly.  That  last 
letter  from  Wiley  showed  that  the  Chicago  folks 
were  beginning  to  sniff  pretty  suspiciously  in  this 
direction.  I've  been  asked  some  awkward  ques- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  51 

tions  lately,  too.  Yes,  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the 
more  I  am  convinced  that  we  ought  to  be  getting 
out  of  here  as  quickly  as  we  can  make  arrange 
ments.  We  must  talk  it  over  with  Plater,  and 
come  to  some  decision  this  very  day.  He's — 
Hello !  Something's  up.  Plater  was  to  stay  in 
camp  till  I  got  back." 

Again  came  the  peculiar,  long-drawn  whistle 
that  had  arrested  the  attention  of  the  men,  and 
which  denoted  the  approach  of  a  friend.  Mr.  Gil 
der  stepped  to  the  door  and  answered  it.  Then 
he  looked  expectantly  towards  a  laurel  thicket  that 
formed  part  of  the  dense  undergrowth  surround 
ing  the  hut.  In  a  moment  the  dripping  branches 
were  parted  near  the  ground,  and  a  man,  emerging 
from  the  bushes  on  his  hands  and  knees,  stood  up, 
shook  himself  like  a  Newfoundland  dog,  and  ad 
vanced  towards  the  open  door.  He  was  a  large 
man  with  long  hair  and  a  bushy  beard.  He  was 
clad  in  flannel,  jeans,  and  cowhide  boots,  and  was 
evidently  of  a  different  class  from  Mr.  Gilder,  who 
appeared  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  was  dressed  as  one. 

"  What's  up,  Plater  ?"  asked  the  latter. 

"  Big  raft,  three  shanties  on  it,  in  false  channel, 
saddle-bagged  on  the  reef  pretty  nigh  abreast  of 
camp.  Can't  see  nobody  aboard.  Reckon  she 
broke  adrift  from  somewheres  while  her  crew  was 
off  on  a  frolic." 


52  Huftmates  : 

"  You  don't  say  so !"  cried  Mr.  Gilder,  excitedly. 
"  Perhaps  it's  the  very  thing  we  are  most  in  need 
of,  sent  by  a  special  providence  to  crown  our 
labors  with  success.  I'll  go  down  and  have  a  look 
at  her,  while  you  stay  here  and  help  Grirn  pack 
up  the  stuff.  We  might  as  well  be  prepared  for  a 
sudden  move,  and  he'll  tell  you  what  we  have  just 
been  talking  about." 

So  Mr.  Gilder,  donning  his  rubber  coat,  a  gar 
ment  that  Plater  would  have  scorned  to  wear,  left 
the  clearing  through  another  bushy  thicket  on  the 
opposite  side  from  that  by  which  his  confederate 
had  entered  it.  An  almost  undiscernible  path  led 
him  to  the  shore  of  the  island  that  was  washed  by 
the  main  channel  of  the  river.  Here  he  struck 
into  a  plainly  marked  trail  that  followed  the 
water's  edge.  In  this  trail  Mr.  Gilder  walked  to 
the  southern  end  of  the  island,  and  up  its  other 
gide  until  he  reached  a  comfortable  camp  that  bore 
signs  of  long  occupancy.  It  stood  high  on  a 
cut  bank,  and  just  below  it  a  rude  boom  held  a 
miscellaneous  assortment  of  logs,  lumber,  and  odd 
wreckage,  all  of  it  evidently  collected  from  the 
stray  drift  of  the  great  river. 

From  the  edge  of  the  bank,  a  short  distance 
from  this  camp,  the  man  commanded  a  good  view 
of  the  stranded  raft,  and  for  several  minutes  he 
stood  gazing  at  it.  "  There's  the  very  thing  to  a 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  53 

T,  that  we  want,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  Not  too 
big  for  us  to  handle,  and  yet  large  enough  to  make 
it  seem  an  object  for  us  to  take  it  down  the  river. 
I  can't  see  what  they  want  of  three  shanties, 
though ;  one  ought  to  be  enough  for  all  the  crew 
she  needs.  Our  first  move  would  be  to  tear  down 
two  of  them,  and  lengthen  the  other;  that  alone 
would  be  a  sufficient  disguise.  We  haven't  got 
her  yet,  though,  and  she  isn't  abandoned  either, 
for  there's  smoke  coming  from  that  middle  shanty, 
I  reckon  the  cook  must  be  aboard,  and  maybe  he'll 
sell  the  whole  outfit  for  cash,  and  so  give  us  a  clear 
title  to  it."  Here  Mr.  Gilder  smiled  as  though 
the  thought  was  most  amusing.  "  I'll  go  off  and 
interview  him  anyway,  and  I'd  better  be  about  it 
too,  for  the  river  is  still  rising.  She  won't  hang 
there  much  longer,  and  if  the  fellow  found  his 
raft  afloat  again  before  a  bargain  was  made  he 
might  not  come  to  terms.  In  that  case  we  should 
be  obliged  to  take  forcible  possession,  which 
would  be  risky.  I'm  bound  to  have  that  raft, 
though.  It  is  simply  a  case  of  necessity,  and 
necessity  is  in  the  same  fix  we  are,  so  far  as  law 
is  concerned. 

While  thus  thinking,  Mr.  Gilder  had  stepped  ^nto 
a  light  skiff  that  was  moored  near  the  boom,  and 
was  pulling  towards  the  stranded  raft.  He  first 
examined  its  position,  and  assured  himself  that 


54  Raft/mates : 

very  little  labor  would  be  necessary  to  float  it; 
then  he  stepped  aboard,  and  very  nearly  lost  his 
customary  self-possession  upon  the  receipt  of 
Winn's  warm  greeting.  He  was  on  the  point  of 
returning  it  in  a  manner  that  would  have  proved 
most  unpleasant  for  poor  Winn,  when  he  discov 
ered  that  his  supposed  assailant  was  only  a  boy, 
and  that  the  act  was  unintentional.  It  took  the 
shrewd  man  but  a  few  minutes  to  discover  the 
exact  state  of  affairs  aboard  the  raft,  and  to  form  a 
plan  for  gaining  peaceful,  if  not  altogether  lawful, 
possession  of  it.  This  plan  he  began  to  carry  out 
by  the  false  statement  of  the  situation  made  to 
Winn  at  the  conclusion  of  the  last  chapter.  This 
beginning  was  not  made,  however,  until  he  had  first 
gained  the  lad's  confidence  by  a  deed  of  kindness. 
"When  Winn  looked  up  from  his  hard  thinking 
he  said,  "  I  hate  the  thought  of  throwing  the 
wheat  overboard,  even  to  save  the  raft.  There  are 
two  thousand  bushels  of  it,  and  I  know  my  father 
expects  to  get  at  least  fifty  cents  a  bushel.  So  it 
would  seem  like  throwing  a  thousand  dollars  into 
the  river.  Then,  again,  I  don't  see  how  it  will  be 
possible  to  land  it,  and  so  lighten  the  raft.  It 
would  take  me  a  month  to  do  it  alone  with  my 
canoe.  Besides,  father  is  sure  to  set  out  on  a  hunt 
for  the  raft  the  moment  he  finds  it  is  gone,  and  00 
ie  likely  to  come  along  most  any  time." 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  55 

"All  the  greater  need  for  haste,"  thought  Mr. 
Gilder ;  but  aloud  he  said,  "  That  is  very  true,  but 
in  the  mean  time  your  raft  will  probably  break  up, 
and  your  wheat  be  spilled  in  the  river  anyway. 
Now  suppose  you  agree  to  pay  me  and  my  part 
ners  a  hundred  dollars  to  get  the  wheat  ashore  for 
you  and  reload  it  after  the  raft  floats." 

"I  haven't  a  cent  of  money  with  me,"  replied 
Winn. 

"  That's  bad,"  said  the  other,  reflectively.  "  It's 
awkward  to  travel  without  money.  But  I'll  tell 
you  what  we'll  do.  I  hate  to  see  a  decent  young 
fellow  like  you  in  such  a  fix,  and  I'm  willing  to 
take  a  risk  to  help  him  out  of  it.  Suppose  I  buy 
your  wheat?  I  told  you  that  I  and  my  partners 
were  river  traders.  To  be  sure,  our  business  is 
mostly  in  logs,  lumber,  and  the  like ;  but  I  don't 
mind  taking  an  occasional  flyer  in  wheat,  provided 
they  are  willing.  You  say  your  father  expects  to 
get  fifty  cents  a  bushel  for  this  wheat.  Now  I'll  give 
you  forty-five  cents  a  bushel  for  it ;  that  is,  if  my 
partners  agree.  That  will  leave  five  cents  a  bushel 
to  pay  us  for  landing  it,  transferring  it  to  some 
other  craft,  and  getting  your  raft  afloat.  What  do 
you  say?" 

"  I  wish  I  could  ask  father  about  it,"  hesitated 
"Winn,  to  whom,  under  the  circumstances  as  he  sup 
posed  them  to  exist,  the  offer  seemed  very  tempting. 


56     Raftmates :  A  /Story  of  the  Great  Eiver. 

"  Oh,  well,"  sneered  Mr.  Gilder,  "  if  you  are  not 
man  enough  now  to  act  upon  your  own  responsi 
bility  in  such  an  emergency,  you  never  will  be. 
So  the  sooner  you  get  home  again  and  tie  up  to 
your  mother's  apron -string  the  sooner  you'll  be 
where  you  belong." 

The  taunt  was  as  well  worn  as  it  was  cruel,  and 
should  have  given  Winn  an  insight  into  the  true 
character  of  his  new  acquaintance ;  but  on  a  boy 
so  proud  of  his  ability  to  decide  for  himself,  and 
so  ignorant  of  the  ways  of  the  world  as  this  one,  it 
was  sufficient  to  produce  the  desired  effect. 

Winn  flushed  hotly  as  he  answered :  "  The  wheat 
is  my  father's,  and  not  mine  to  sell ;  but  for  the 
sake  of  saving  it  as  well  as  the  raft,  I  will  let  you 
have  it  at  that  price.  I  must  have  the  cash,  though, 
before  you  begin  to  move  it." 

"  Spoken  like  the  man  I  took  you  to  be,"  said 
Mr.  Gilder,  heartily.  "  Now  we'll  go  ashore  and 
see  my  partners.  If  they  agree  to  the  bargain,  as 
no  doubt  they  will,  we'll  get  to  work  at  once,  and 
have  your  raft  afloat  again  in  no  time." 


CHAPTER   VIL1. 

DISAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  RAPT. 

WHEN  Winn  and  his  new  acquaintance  stepped 
outside  of  the  "  shanty,"  it  did  not  seem  to  the 
boy  that  the  river  was  falling,  or  that  the  raft  was 
in  a  particularly  dangerous  position.  He  would 
have  liked  to  examine  more  closely  into  its  condi 
tion,  but  his  companion  so  occupied  his  attention 
by  describing  the  manner  in  which  he  proposed  to 
remove  the  wheat,  and  so  hurried  him  into  the 
waiting  skiff,  that  he  had  no  opportunity  to 
do  so. 

The  "  river-traders' "  camp  was  not  visible  from 
the  raft,  nor  did  Mr.  Gilder,  who  handled  the  oars, 
head  the  skiff  in  its  direction.  He  rowed  diago 
nally  up-stream  instead,  so  as  to  land  at  some  dis 
tance  above  it.  There  he  asked  Winn  to  wait  a 
few  minutes  until  he  should  discover  in  which 
direction  his  partners  had  gone.  He  explained 
that  one  of  them  had  been  left  in  camp  at  a  con 
siderable  distance  from  that  point,  while  he  and 
the  third  had  been  rowing  along  the  shore  of  the 
island  in  opposite  directions,  searching  for  drift- 


68  Raftmatex  ; 

logs.  Thus  he  alone  had  discovered  the  stranded 
raft.  Now  he  wished  to  bring  them  to  that  point, 
that  they  might  see  it  for  themselves  before  he  ex 
plained  the  proposed  wheat  deal.  With  this  Mr. 
Gilder  plunged  directly  into  the  tall  timber,  leav 
ing  Winn  alone  on  the  river-bank. 

It  was  fully  fifteen  minutes  before  the  man  re 
turned  to  the  waiting  lad,  and  he  not  only  looked 
heated  but  anxious. 

"  I  can't  think  what  has  become  of  those  fel 
lows  !"  he  exclaimed,  breathlessly,  as  he  wiped  the 
moisture  from  his  forehead  with  a  cambric  hand 
kerchief.  "I've  been  clear  to  camp  without  find 
ing  a  trace  of  either  of  them.  Now  there  is  only 
one  thing  left  for  us  to  do  in  order  to  get  them 
here  quickly.  You  and  I  must  start  around  the 
island  in  opposite  directions,  because  if  we  went 
together  we  might  follow  them  round  and  round 
like  a  kitten  chasing  its  tail.  If  you  meet  them, 
bring  them  back  here,  and  I  will  do  the  same.  If 
you  don't  meet  them,  keep  on  until  you  are  half 
way  down  the  other  side  of  the  island,  or  exactly 
opposite  this  point ;  then  strike  directly  into  the 
timber,  and  so  make  a  short-cut  back  here.  In 
that  way  you  will  reach  this  place  again  as  soon  as 
I,  for  the  island  isn't  more  than  three  hundred 
yards  wide  just  here.  Be  spry,  now,  and  remember 
that  the  safety  of  your  raft  depends  largely  upon 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  59 

the  promptness  with  which  we  get  those  other  fel 
lows  here." 

With  this  Mr.  Gilder  began  to  walk  rapidly 
down  the  shore  in  the  direction  he  had  chosen. 
Carried  away  by  the  man's  impetuosity,  Winn 
did  not  hesitate  to  obey  his  instructions,  but  started 
at  once  in  the  opposite  direction.  Mr.  Gilder, 
noting  this  by  a  backward  glance  over  his 
shoulder,  instantly  halted  and  concealed  himself 
behind  a  large  tree-trunk.  From  here  he  peered 
at  the  retreating  figure  of  the  boy  until  it  was  no 
longer  visible.  Then  he  gave  vent  to  the  same 
peculiar  whistle  with  which  Plater  had  announced 
his  own  approach  to  the  log-hut  in  the  woods. 
The  sound  was  immediately  answered  from  no 
great  distance,  whereupon  Mr.  Gilder  hastened  in 
that  direction.  A  minute  later  he  returned,  bring 
ing  a  coil  of  stout  rope,  one  end  of  which  he  made 
fast  to  a  tree  on  the  bank.  At  the  same  time 
both  Grimshaw  and  Plater  appeared,  each  bearing 
a  large  package  securely  wrapped  in  canvas  on 
his  shoulder. 

All  three  men  entered  the  skiff  and  pulled  out 
to  the  raft,  carrying  the  loose  end  of  the  rope  with 
them.  Mr.  Gilder  and  Grimshaw  quickly  returned 
to  the  land,  leaving  the  burly  Plater  to  make  a  vigor 
ous  attack  with  an  axe  against  the  sides  of  one  of 
the  wheat  bins.  He  soon  splintered  and  tore  off 


60  Baftmates: 

a  board,  leaving  an  aperture  through  which  a  broad 
stream  of  wheat  rushed  out  on  the  deck  of  the  raft. 
This  Plater  began  to  shovel  overboard,  working 
with  furious  energy,  as  though  combating  a  hated 
enemy.  In  ten  minutes  both  bins  were  empty, 
and  so  much  of  the  wheat  had  gone  into  the  ever- 
rising  waters  that  the  raft,  which  had  been  on  the 
point  of  floating  when  Plater  began  his  operations, 
now  did  so,  and  swung  in  close  to  the  bank  at  the 
end  of  its  new  cable. 

In  the  mean  time  the  other  men  had  brought 
several  skiff-loads  of  their  peculiar  merchandise  to 
the  raft,  and  now  it  took  but  a  few  minutes  to 
transfer  what  remained  on  the  bank  directly  to  it. 
Even  the  tent,  which  had  been  hastily  torn  down, 
together  with  a  portion  of  their  camp  outfit,  was 
tossed  aboard,  and  within  fifteen  minutes  from 
the  time  of  Winn's  departure  the  Venture,  with 
its  new  crew  at  the  sweeps,  was  moving  slowly  out 
from  the  island,  and  gathering  impetus  from  the 
current  for  a  continuance  of  its  eventful  voyage. 

Without  a  suspicion  that  the  gentlemanly 
stranger  who  had  so  kindly  smoothed  awav  his 
culinary  difficulties,  and,  while  apparently  willing 
to  assist  him,  was  also  anxious  to  make  a  good  bar 
gain  for  himself,  was  anything  but  what  he  ap 
peared  to  be,  Winn  made  his  way  briskly  towards 
the  head  of  the  island.  It  was  only  after  round- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Bvver.  61 

ing  it  and  starting  down  the  opposite  side  with 
out  seeing  a  sign  of  those  whom  he  sought  that 
he  began  to  have  misgivings. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  is  all  right  ?"  he  said  to  himself. 
"What  could  be  the  man's  object  in  telling  me 
that  the  raft  was  in  a  dangerous  position  if  she 
isn't  ?  I  declare  I  don't  believe  she  is,  though ! 
She  didn't  look  it  when  I  left,  and  I  do  believe  the 
river  is  still  rising.  I  wonder  if  I  haven't  done  a 
foolish  thing  in  leaving  the  raft  ?  If  I  have,  the 
best  thing  to  do  now  is  to  get  back  as  quickly  as 
possible." 

By  this  time  the  boy  had  worked  himself  into  a 
fever  of  apprehension,  and,  remembering  what  he 
had  been  told  concerning  the  narrowness  of  the 
island,  he  determined  to  make  a  short-cut  across  it. 
This  was  exactly  what  the  far-sighted  Mr.  Gilder 
had  anticipated,  and  Winn  fell  an  easy  victim  to 
his  artfully  planned  trap.  For  nearly  an  hour  the 
boy,  versed  in  wood-craft  as  he  was,  wandered  and 
struggled  through  the  dense  undergrowth  of  that 
island  forest.  Suddenly,  as  he  burst  his  way  through 
a  thicket,  he  was  confronted  by  the  log-hut  so  lately 
occupied  by  the  "  river-traders."  Winn  shouted  as 
he  approached  it ;  but,  of  course,  received  no  reply. 
It  had  the  lonely  look  of  a  place  long  deserted,  and 
the  boy  paused  for  but  a  single  glance  into  its  un 
inviting  interior.  Then,  getting  his  bearings  anew 


62     Raftmatea :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

by  the  sun  that  was  beginning  to  struggle  through 
the  clouds,  he  pushed  his  way  resolutely  towards 
ihe  western  side  of  the  island,  which,  somewhat  to 
kis  surprise,  he  reached  a  few  minutes  later. 

He  emerged  from  the  timber  at  the  abandoned 
camp  of  the  traders ;  but  without  stopping  to  ex 
amine  it,  he  ran  to  the  water's  edge,  and  gazed 
anxiously  both  up  and  down  stream.  There  was 
no  sign  of  the  raft  nor  of  any  moving  object.  "  It 
must  be  iarther  up,  around  that  point,"  thought 
Winn,  and  he  hurried  in  that  direction.  From  one 
point  to  another  he  thus  pursued  his  anxious  way 
until  the  head  of  the  island  was  once  more  in  sight. 
Then  he  knew  that  he  must  have  passed  the  place 
where  the  raft  had  been,  and  that  it  was  gone. 

As  a  realizing  sense  of  how  he  had  been  duped 
and  of  his  present  situation  flashed  through  his 
mind,  the  poor  boy  sat  down  on  a  log,  too  bewil 
dered  to  act,  or  even  to  think. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ALONE  ON  THE  ISLAND. 

WINN  CASPAR  was  indeed  unhappy  as  he  sat  on 
that  log  and  gazed  hopelessly  out  over  the  spar 
kling  waters,  on  which  the  sun  was  now  shining 
brightly.  Although  he  had  explored  only  a  por 
tion  of  the  island,  he  felt  that  he  was  alone  on  it. 
But  that  was  by  no  means  the  worst  of  the  situa 
tion.  The  raft  in  which  he  had  taken  so  much 
pride,  his  father's  raft  upon  which  so  much  de 
pended,  the  raft  on  which  he  had  expected  to  float 
out  into  the  great  world,  was  gone,  and  he  was 
powerless  to  follow  it.  All  through  his  own  fault, 
too !  This  thought  was  the  hardest  to  bear.  Why, 
even  Elta  would  have  known  better.  Of  course 
she  would.  Any  one  but  he  would,  and  she  was 
wiser  than  almost  any  one  he  knew.  How  dearly 
he  loved  this  wise  little  sister,  and  to  think  that  he 
had  parted  with  her  in  anger!  When  was  that? 
Only  last  evening !  Impossible !  It  must  have  been 
weeks  ago.  It  wasn't,  though !  It  was  only  a  few 
hours  ago,  and  his  father  had  hardly  had  time  to 
come  and  look  for  him  yet.  Perhaps  he  was  even 


64  Raftmates : 

now  on  his  way  down  the  river,  and  might  be  pass 
ing  on  the  other  side  of  the  island. 

With  this  thought  the  boy  sprang  to  his  feet, 
and  hurrying  to  the  head  of  the  island,  eagerly 
scanned  the  waters  of  the  main  channel.  There 
was  nothing  in  sight,  not  even  a  skiff  or  a  oanoe. 
"Even  my  dugout  is  gone,'*  thought  Winn, \\ith  a 
fresh  pang,  for  he  was  very  fond  of  the  little  c  *af t 
that  was  all  his  own.  Then  he  wondered  how  ae 
should  attract  his  father's  attention,  and  decided 
to  build  a  fire,  with  the  hope  that  Major  Caspar 
might  come  to  it  to  make  inquiries,  and  thus  effect 
his  rescue. 

Having  a  definite  object  to  work  for  cheered 
the  boy  somewhat,  and  his  heart  grew  sensibly 
lighter  as  he  began  to  collect  wood  for  his  fire. 
But  how  should  he  light  it  ?  He  had  no  matches. 
For  a  moment  this  new  difficulty  seemed  insur 
mountable;  then  he  remembered  having  seen  the 
smouldering  remains  of  a  fire  at  the  abandoned 
camp  on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  He  must 
go  back  to  it  at  once. 

Hurrying  back  around  the  head  of  the  island, 
Winn  reached  the  place  just  in  time  to  find  a  few 
embers  still  glowing  faintly,  and  after  whittling 
a  handful  of  shavings,  he  succeeded,  by  a  great  ex 
penditure  of  breath,  in  coaxing  a  tiny  flame  into 
life.  Yery  carefully  he  piled  on  dry  chips,  and 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  65 

then  larger  sticks,  until  finally  he  had  a  fire 
warranted  to  live  through  a  rain-storm.  Now 
for  another  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  isl 
and ! 

He  could  not  carry  lighted  sticks  the  way  he 
had  come.  It  was  too  far.  He  thought  he  could 
get  them  safely  across  the  island,  though,  if  he 
only  knew  the  most  direct  path.  He  would  first 
discover  this  and  then  return  for  his  fire.  Quite 
early  in  the  search  he  stumbled  across  a  very  nar 
row  trail  that  seemed  to  lead  in  the  right  direc 
tion.  By  following  it  he  came  once  more  to  the 
deserted  log-hut  in  the  forest,  but  search  through 
the  little  clearing  as  he  might,  he  could  not  see 
that  it  went  any  farther. 

Taking  his  bearings,  after  deciding  to  open  a 
trail  of  his  own  from  there  to  the  river,  the  boy 
attacked  a  thicket  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  clear 
ing  with  his  jack-knife.  A  few  minutes  of  cutting 
carried  him  through  it,  and,  to  his  amazement,  he 
found  himself  again  in  an  unmistakable  trail.  It 
was  narrow  and  indistinct,  but  it  was  none  the  less 
a  trail,  leading  in  the  right  direction,  and  the  boy 
was  woodman  enough  to  follow  it  without  hesita 
tion  to  the  river-bank.  A  steamboat  was  passing 
the  island,  but  though  Winn  waved  frantically  to 
it  and  shouted  himself  hoarse,  no  attention  was 
paid  to  him.  With  a  heavy  heart  he  watched  it 


66  Eaftmates : 

out  of  sight,  and  then  began  another  collection  of 
wood  for  his  signal-fire. 

When  it  was  made,  he  again  crossed  the  island, 
selected  a  blazing  stick  from  the  camp-fire,  and 
started  to  retrace  his  steps.  By  the  time  he 
reached  the  log-hut  he  found  it  necessary  to  stop 
and  renew  his  blaze  by  building  a  fire  in  the  rude 
chimney.  By  thus  establishing  a  relay  station  he 
finally  succeeded  in  getting  a  blaze  to  the  desired 
spot  on  the  channel  side  of  the  island,  and  in  start 
ing  a  brisk  fire  at  that  point. 

Here  the  boy  would  have  stayed  and  watched  for 
the  craft  that  he  fondly  hoped  would  come  to  his 
deliverance ;  but  it  was  now  a  long  time  since 
breakfast,  and  his  hard  work  had  made  him  very 
hungry.  He  might  find  something  to  eat  at  that 
abandoned  camp,  which  he  had  not  yet  examined. 
At  any  rate  he  would  go  and  look.  So  he  piled 
logs  on  his  fire  until  satisfied  that  it  would  last  for 
some  hours.  Then  picking  up  a  bit  of  shingle 
from  the  beach,  he  wrote  on  it  with  the  stump  of 
a  lead-pencil : 

"  I  am  on  the  island.  Follow  the  trail  and  you 
will  find  me.  WINN  CASPAR." 

This  note  he  stuck  in  a  cleft  sapling,  from 
which  he  first  cut  the  top,  and  which  stood  so  near 
the  fire  that  it  was  certain  to  attract  attention. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  67 

Then  feeling  that  he  could  do  nothing  more  in 
that  place,  he  set  forth  in  search  of  something  with 
which  to  satisfy  his  hunger.  On  his  way  back  he 
stopped  at  the  hut,  and  made  a  thorough  but  vain 
search  for  food.  There  was  not  so  much  as  would 
have  fed  a  mouse,  and  the  only  thing  of  value  that 
the  boy  discovered  was  a  rusty  fish-hook  stuck  into 
one  of  the  wall  logs.  Before  leaving  the  hut  he 
replenished  the  fire  in  the  chimney-place,  thinking 
that  perhaps  he  might  return  there  to  sleep.  Then 
he  went  on  to  the  camp. 

Here  Winn's  search  for  food  was  as  unsuccess 
ful  as  it  had  been  at  the  hut.  He  found  a  number 
of  cooking  utensils,  battered  and  smoked,  and  dis 
covered  an  old  axe  still  sticking  in  the  log  on 
which  it  had  been  last  used.  He  also  found  some 
bits  of  rope  and  cord.  He  knotted  together 
enough  of  the  latter  to  make  a  rude  line,  attached 
his  fish-hook  to  it,  cut  a  pole,  dug  some  bait,  and 
began  to  fish  just  above  the  "river-traders'  "  boom. 
For  some  time  he  sat  there,  patiently,  but  got  no 
bites.  The  poor  boy  began  to  grow  desperate 
with  hunger. 

"  I  declare !  I've  a  great  mind  to  swim  for  the 
main-land,"  he  said,  aloud.  "  No  I  won't,  though. 
I  can  do  better  than  that.  Besides,  the  water  is 
cold  enough  to  give  me  a  cramp.  I  can  make  a  raft 
of  these  logs.  Why  didn't  I  think  of  it  before  ?" 


68  Raf inflates : 

Thrusting  the  butt  end  of  his  pole  into  the  soft 
earth  of  the  bank,  and  weighting  it  with  a  good, 
sized  stone,  the  boy  went  to  the  boom  to  examine 
its  contents.  There  were  plenty  of  logs  suitable 
for  the  foundation  of  a  raft,  and  more  than  enough 
lumber  to  deck  it  handsomely.  But  what  was 
that  brown  stuff  filling  so  many  of  the  crevices 
between  the  logs  and  timbers  ? 

"  Wheat,  as  I'm  a  living  boy  !"  exclaimed  Winn, 
stooping  and  gathering  some  of  the  stuff  in  his 
hands.  "  Wheat !  but  where  can  it  have  come 
from?  Did  the  Venture  suddenly  break  up  and 
go  to  pieces  after  all,  as  Mr.  Gilder  said  she  would  ?" 
If  so,  then  the  situation  was  worse  than  he  had 
supposed,  for  until  now  the  boy  had  entertained 
some  hopes  of  being  able  to  follow  and  perhaps 
recover  the  raft,  especially  if  his  father  should 
come  along  and  discover  him.  Bat  if  the  raft 
were  broken  up,  as  the  presence  of  this  wheat 
seemed  to  indicate,  then  its  loss  was  indeed  total 
and  irreparable. 

"But  if  they  have  not  gone  off  with  the  raft, 
what  has  become  of  those  river  traders  ?"  argued 
the  boy  with  himself.  "They  might  have  fol 
lowed  the  broken  sections,  or  even  gone  off  on  one 
of  them.  I  believe  that's  what  they  have  done  I" 
he  exclaimed  aloud.  That  accounts  for  their 
leaving  in  such  a  hurry,  and  taking  their  provisions 


A  Story  of  tlie  Great  River.  69 

with  them.  I  didn't  think  that  Gilder  was  such  a 
bad  sort  of  a  chap  after  all.  Now  he  is  pretty 
sure  to  come  back  for  me  after  he  has  secured  what 
he  can  from  the  wreck.  But  what  am  I  to  do  for 
something  to  eat  in  the  mean  time?  If  I  could 
only  catch  a  fish  !" 

Just  then  there  was  a  great  commotion  in  the 
water,  and  the  pole  left  sticking  in  the  bank  be 
gan  to  bend  ominously.  Winn  sprang  towards  it ; 
but  as  he  stretched  out  his  hand  it  flew  back  into 
position,  and  the  flurry  in  the  water  subsided.  The 
wretched  line  had  parted,  and  the  big  catfish, 
from  which  the  boy  could  have  made  such  a  cap 
ital  supper,  was  seeking  the  deepest  hole  in  the 
river.  The  worst  of  it  all  was  that  he  had  taken 
Winn's  only  hook  with  him,  and  so  put  an  end 
to  any  further  efforts  for  his  capture. 

The  boy  could  have  cried  with  hunger  and  vex 
ation.  It  wouldn't  have  done  him  any  good, 
though,  and  he  knew  it ;  so  he  began  to  gather  a 
tin  cup  full  of  the  water-soaked  wheat  instead. 
This  he  set  on  a  bed  of  coals  to  boil,  and  was  so 
hungry  that  he  could  not  wait  for  it  to  be  done, 
but  ate  it  half  raw,  without  salt,  butter,  sugar, 
syrup,  milk,  or  anything  that  serves  to  render  such 
food  palatable,  and  only  partially  cooked  at  that, 
it  still  seemed  to  "Winn  one  of  the  best  things  he 
had  ever  eaten,  and  he  immediately  started  the 


70     Rdftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

cooking  of  another  mess.  There  was  not  much  of 
the  wheat  in  sight,  and  to  secure  a  second  cupful 
the  boy  scraped  up  every  grain  that  lie  could  find. 

"After  this  comes  starvation,"  thought  "Winn ; 
unless  I  can  get  away  from  this  island,  and  I  am 
going  to  begin  work  on  that  raft  at  once." 

He  carefully  collected  every  bit  of  rope  he  could 
find,  and  thus  secured  enough  to  lash  togethei 
four  of  the  largest  logs.  Above  these  he  laid  a 
platform  of  boards,  and  longed  for  some  nails  with 
which  to  fasten  them  in  place.  He  did  remark 
ably  well  considering  his  limited  means,  and  by 
sunset  had  completed  a  raft  that  would  more  than 
support  his  weight.  If  he  could  only  keep  it  clear 
of  snags  and  reefs  it  would  also  bear  him  in  safety 
down  the  river,  to  some  place  where  there  were 
suppers  and  breakfasts  to  be  had. 

It  would  not  do  to  attempt  the  voyage  on  such 
a  frail  structure  in  the  dark,  of  course ;  and  so,  at 
sunset,  Winn  reluctantly  began  his  preparations 
for  passing  a  night  of  loneliness  on  the  island. 


CHAPTER    X. 

A   NIGHT   OF    STRANGE    HAPPENINGS. 

WINN'S  preparations  for  the  night  were  of  the 
simplest  description,  because  he  had  so  little  to 
prepare.  The  boy  tried  to  console  himself  with 
this  thought.  "  If  I  had  provisions  I  should  have 
to  cook,"  he  said  to  himself ;  "  and  if  there  is  one 
thing  in  this  world  meaner  than  another  it  is  cook 
ing.  I  never  realized  before  what  mother  has  to 
go  through  with  every  day.  Never  complains  of 
it,  either.  She's  a  regular  angel,  though,  and  things 
always  seem  to  go  right  with  her.  Now  with  boys 
it's  just  the  other  way.  See  what  a  fix  I've  got 
into  all  on  account  of  being  a  boy,  and  trying  to 
do  things.  Seems  to  me  that  Gilder  must  have 
been  a  pretty  patient  sort  of  a  boy  to  learn  to  cook 
the  way  he  does.  I  wonder  if  he  ever  gets  into 
scrapes  ?  He'd  be  in  one  if  he  was  in  my  place 
now,  and  I  wish  I  knew  how  he'd  get  out  of  it." 

While  thus  thinking  Winn  was  by  no  means 
idle.  He  cut  a  number  of  bushes  and  leaned  them 
against  the  ridge-pole  of  the  u  traders' "  tent,  the 
frame  of  which  they  had  left  standing.  This 


7$  Eaftmates : 

shelter  was  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  wind-break  on 
the  north  side  of  the  lire,  the  grateful  warmth 
being  thus  reflected  from  its  inner  surface.  An 
armful  of  twigs  and  another  of  dry  grass  formed 
the  boy's  bed,  and  a  drink  of  river- water  his  sup 
per.  He  had  thought  of  passing  the  night  in  the 
log-hut ;  but  as  darkness  came  on  he  could  not  bear 
the  thought  of  its  lonesomeness.  It  was  bad  enough 
to  be  alone  on  the  river-bank,  with  a  broad  ex 
panse  of  star-dotted  sky  to  look  at ;  but  that  forlorn 
little  hut,  shut  in  on  all  sides  by  the  dark  forest ! 
Ugh  !  It  made  him  shiver  to  think  of  it.  No ; 
he  was  decidedly  better  off  where  he  was,  and  even 
if  his  father  came  along  during  the  night,  which 
Winn  did  not  think  probable,  he  could  not  fail  to 
see  the  notice  posted  beside  the  signal-fire.  It 
was  important  that  he  should  remain  near  his  new 
raft  too,  so  that  at  the  first  streak  of  daylight  he 
could  board  it  and  be  off. 

After  a  while  the  lonely  lad  fell  into  a  sleep  filled 
with  troubled  dreams.  An  owl  came  and  hooted 
above  him;  the  night  wind  sighed  weirdly  through 
the  tall  timber  behind  him  ;  while  queer  gurglings, 
mysterious  splashings,  and  other  strange  sounds 
came  from  the  swift-flowing  river  close  at  hand. 
Although  none  of  these  sounds  wakened  the  boy, 
they  tinged  his  dreams  with  their  uncanniness. 

For  some  hours  he  slept,  and  then  woke  with  a 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  78 

start.  He  was  sitting  bolt  upright,  and  felt  certain 
that  something  cold  and  wet  had  just  touched  his 
face.  He  put  a  hand  to  his  cheek.  Yes,  there  was 
a  wet  spot.  What  were  those  two  bright  points 
shining  in  the  dim  fireglow!  They  looked  like 
eyes.  "Winn  sprang  to  his  feet.  At  his  movement 
the  glowing  eyeballs  vanished.  Some  animal  ut 
tered  an  indescribable  sound,  something  between  a 
bark  and  a  snarl,  there  was  a  rustling  of  dead 
leaves,  and  then  all  was  still. 

While  the  boy  stood  trembling  with  the  vague 
fear  that  always  accompanies  a  suspected  but  un 
known  danger,  and  staring  blankly  into  the  dark 
ness,  there  came  to  his  ears  from  the  forest  depths 
a  sound  that  was  almost  as  terrifying  as  the  recent 
presence  of  the  unknown  animal.  It  seemed  a 
mingling  of  howls,  cries,  and  groanings.  It  rose 
and  fell,  now  loud,  and  then  almost  inaudible ;  but 
it  always  came  from  the  direction  of  the  deserted 
log-hut.  At  length  it  ceased,  and  now  Winn  no 
ticed  for  the  first  time  that  a  faint  light  was  be 
ginning  to  tinge  the  eastern  sky  above  the  tree- 
tops. 

"  Daylight  is  coming,"  thought  the  boy,  "  and  it 
is  high  time  for  me  to  be  off."  He  was  glad  of  an 
excuse  for  leaving  a  place  that  had  all  at  once  be 
come  filled  with  such  unexplained  terrors.  Feeling 
his  way  cautiously  to  the  river -bank,  he  reached 


74  Raf I/mates : 

the  little  raft  without  mishap.  It  took  him  some 
time  to  get  it  clear  of  the  boom ;  but  at  length  he 
succeeded,  and  with  a  very  decided  feeling  of  re 
lief  he  pushed  off  into  the  current,  and  proceeded 
on  his  journey. 

Winn's  spirits  rose  as  his  clumsy  craft  moved 
out  from  the  heavy  shadows  of  the  island,  and  he 
began  to  whistle  to  convince  himself  that  he  had 
not  been  afraid  of  anything  after  all.  Suddenly 
he  heard  low  voices  close  beside  him,  a  dark  object 
dashed  up  to  his  raft,  and  a  dazzling  light  was 
flashed  full  in  his  face.  The  next  instant  two  men 
sprang  to  his  side,  threw  him  down,  searched  him  for 
arms,  secured  his  knife,  which  was  the  only  thing 
resembling  a  weapon  that  he  possessed,  and  forced 
him  into  a  large  skiff  containing  several  other  men. 

"  Close  the  lantern,"  ordered  one  of  these  in  a 
/ow  but  stern  voice,  "  and  pull  for  that  fire  on 
shore.  No  doubt  we'll  bag  some  more  of  them 
there."  Then  to  Winn  the  man  said,  "  So  you 
thought  you  could  give  us  the  slip,  did  you,  young 
fellow?  Well,  you  found  us  up  too  early,  didn't 
you  ?  Now  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  afford 
us  all  possible  aid  in  capturing  the  rest  of  your 
gang.  It  '11  count  big  in  your  favor  with  the 
Judge,  I  can  tell  you.  How  many  are  there  on 
the  island?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean — "  began  Winn, 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  75 

indignantly;  but  a  heavy  hand  was  instantly 
clapped  over  his  mouth. 

"  Shut  up !"  whispered  the  man,  hoarsely,  but 
with  terrible  distinctness.  "  If  you  speak  another 
loud  word  I'll  brain  you.  You'll  find  out  what  I 
mean  when  we've  landed  you  safely  in  Dubuque 
jail.  Now  answer  me  in  a  whisper.  How  many 
of  your  pals  are  on  the  island  ?" 

"I  haven't  any  pals,"  replied  Winn,  putting  as 
much  force  into  his  whisper  as  he  dared,  "and 
there  isn't  any  one  on  the  island.  "  This  is  an  out 
rage,  and — " 

"  That  will  do,"  answered  the  man,  sternly.  "If 
that's  the  tone  you  are  going  to  take,  we  don't  want 
to  hear  any  more  of  it." 

Just  then  the  bow  of  the  skiff  was  run  on  the 
bank,  and  the  man,  grasping  Winn's  arm,  stepped 
ashore,  saying,  "  Now  make  yourself  uself ul,  young 
fellow,  and  lead  us  to  your  mint  or  den  or  what 
ever  you  call  it.  If  you  don't  want  to  I'll  find 
a  way  to  compel  you,  and  if  you  try  any  low- 
down  tricks,  I'll  make  you  wish  you'd  never  been 
born." 

"  Do  you  mean  the  log-hut  ?"  asked  Winn. 

"  Yes,  if  that's  what  you  call  it ;  but  you  want  to 
get  a  move  onto  you  in  a  hurry." 

Bewildered  and  indignant  as  he  was,  Winn  was 
yet  cool  enough  to  realize  the  folly  of  resistance. 


76  Raftmates : 

He  also  reflected  that  when  these  men  found  the 
hut  deserted,  and  that  there  was  no  one  besides 
themselves  on  the  island,  they  would  be  willing  to 
listen  to  his  story.  At  any  rate,  so  long  as  he  was 
in  their  power  it  was  best  to  do  as  they  directed. 
So,  with  the  leader's  hand  still  grasping  his  arm, 
the  boy  led  the  way  into  the  narrow  trail  that  he 
had  already  traversed  so  often. 

Proceeding  slowly,  and  with  such  extreme  cau 
tion  that  not  a  sound  betrayed  their  presence,  the 
men  followed  in  single  file.  At  the  edge  of  the 
little  clearing  Winn  halted,  and  was  about  to  speak, 
when  a  hand  was  again  clapped  over  his  mouth 
with  the  force  of  a  blow. 

"  Whisper !"  came  the  order. 

"Well  there's  your  hut,"  whispered  the  boy, 
as  soon  as  he  was  given  the  chance,  "  and  if 
you  find  any  one  in  it,  then  I'm  a  liar,  that's 
all." 

The  hut  was  plainly  visible  by  the  firelight  that 
streamed  from  its  open  window.  Winn  wondered 
at  the  brightness  of  this  light,  for  it  seemed  as 
though  the  fire  he  had  left  there  the  evening  be 
fore  ought  to  have  burned  out  long  ago.  He 
also  wondered  that  he  did  not  remember  hav 
ing  closed  the  door.  As  no  light  came  from 
its  direction,  it  certainly  appeared  to  be  closed 
now.  As  these  thoughts  flashed  through  the  boy's 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  77 

mind,  the  man  who  held  him,  and  who  was  evi 
dently  the  leader  of  the  party,  whispered, 

"  You  say  there  isn't  anybody  in  there,  but  it 
looks  to  me  as  if  there  was.  Anyhow,  we'll  find 
out  in  another  minute,  and  if  you've  led  us  into  a 
trap  or  played  us  false,  I'll  see  that  you  swing  for 
it,  or  my  name's  not  Riley.  Bill,  you  stay  here 
and  see  that  this  chap  doesn't  put  up  any  game  on 
us  while  we  surround  that  den  of  thieves.  Have 
your  guns  ready  for  use,  men." 

Although  all  this  was  spoken  in  a  whisper, 
inaudible  beyond  its  immediate  group  of  hearers, 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  man's  stern  meaning, 
and  Winn  experienced  an  uneasy  dread  such  as 
he  had  not  heretofore  felt  throughout  this  strange 
adventure. 

Suppose  there  should  be  some  one  in  the  hut  ? 
Suppose  the  "  river-traders "  had  returned  to  the 
island  and  should  resent  this  intrusion  even  to  the 
point  of  resisting  it  ?  In  such  a  case  what  would 
happen  to  him?  If  his  captors  were  triumphant 
they  would  declare  he  had  led  them  into  a  trap, 
for  doing  which  they  had  promised  to  hang  him. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  "  river-traders  "  had  re 
turned  and  should  make  a  successful  fight,  would 
not  their  wrath  also  be  directed  towards  him  for 
leading  their  assailants  to  the  hut  ?  In  either  case, 
it  seemed  to  the  bewildered  boy  that  his  position 


78  Baftmates: 

was  decidedly  unpleasant,  and  he  awaited  the  im 
mediate  developments  of  the  situation  with  no 
little  anxiety. 

Those  who  had  followed  him  had  disappeared 
like  shadows,  and  Winn  could  not  detect  a  sound 
save  the  suppressed  breathing  of  the  man  who  had 
been  detailed  to  guard  him,  and  who  now  held  his 
arm. 

Suddenly  a  dog's  bark  broke  the  stillness,  and  a 
loud  challenge,  followed  by  a  pistol  shot,  rang  out 
through  the  night  air.  There  was  a  confused  tram 
pling  ;  the  forest  echoed  with  a  roar  of  guns ;  the 
door  of  the  hut  was  burst  open,  and  a  furious  rush 
was  made  for  the  interior. 

In  his  excitement  Winn's  guard  loosed  his  hold 
of  the  boy's  arm  and  took  a  step  forward,  the 
better  to  distinguish  what  was  going  on. 

Winn  was  free,  and  acting  upon  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  he  slipped  behind  a  great  tree-trunk, 
Btole  noiselessly  a  few  paces  farther,  and  then 
dashed  away  with  the  speed  of  a  deer  back  over 
the  trail  leading  to  the  river.  He  did  not  pause 
when  he  reached  the  camp  in  which  he  had  passed 
the  night  so  unhappily,  but  bounded  down  the 
bank  to  the  water's  edge.  Here  he  cast  loose  the 
painter  of  the  skiff  that  had  brought  Mr.  Riley 
and  hi*  men  to  the  island,  and,  with  a  mighty 
shove  towards  the  channel,  gave  a  spring  that 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  79 

landed  him  at  full  length  in  its  bottom.  Here  he 
lay  breathless  and  almost  motionless  for  the  next 
thirty  minutes,  or  until  his  craft  had  drifted  below 
the  tail  of  the  island,  and  was  spinning  down  the 
main  channel  of  the  great  river. 


CHAPTER  XI 
BILLY   BRACKETT'S  SURPRISING  SITUATION. 

WHEN  Billy  Brackett  set  forth  on  his  search 
for  a  nephew  and  a  runaway  raft  he  did  not  an 
ticipate  any  difficulty  in  finding  them.  The  ap 
pearance  of  the  raft  had  been  minutely  described 
to  him,  and,  according  to  this  description,  it  was  too 
distinctive  in  its  character  to  be  mistaken  for  any 
thing  else.  Three  shanties,  and  they  of  unusual 
construction,  on  a  raft  of  that  size  formed  a  pe 
culiarity  sufficient  to  arrest  the  immediate  atten 
tion  of  all  river  men.  Thus  the  young  engineer 
felt  certain  that  by  making  an  occasional  inquiry 
and  proceeding  at  a  speed  at  least  double  that  of 
the  raft,  he  could  easily  trace  and  overtake  it,  even 
though  it  should  not  run  aground,  which  he 
thought  more  than  likely  to  happen  early  in  its 
voyage. 

So  Billy  Brackett  rowed  down  the  creek  without 
a  trace  of  anxiety  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  advent 
ure  into  which  he  had  so  unexpectedly  tumbled. 
One  peculiarity  of  this  light-hearted  young 
man  was  that  no  proposition  to  leave  a  beaten 


JRaftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River.     81 

track  and  strike  into  an  unexplored  trail,  even 
though  it  led  in  exactly  the  opposite  direction, 
could  be  too  absurd  or  unexpected  to  meet  with 
his  ready  approval,  always  providing  it  promised 
plenty  of  adventure.  At  the  same  time  he  never 
lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  he  had  a  living  to  earn, 
besides  a  professional  reputation  to  win  and  main 
tain.  Consequently  he  generally  managed  to  make 
his  adventures  keep  step  with  his  duties.  In  the 
present  instance  he  felt  that  Major  Caspar's  aid 
was  necessary  to  the  fulfilling  of  his  timber  con 
tract.  He  also  realized  that  the  only  way  to  ob 
tain  it  was  by  taking  his  brother-in-law's  place  in 
searching  for  the  lost  raft  and  navigating  it  down 
the  river  to  a  market.  He  had  no  family  ties  to 
bind  him  to  times  or  places,  and  with  Bim  for 
company  he  was  ready  to  start  at  any  moment  for 
any  portion  of  the  globe. 

"  Bim  "  was  a  diminutive  of  Cherubim,  a  name 
bestowed  by  its  present  owner  upon  the  wretched 
puppy  that  he  had  rescued  from  an  abandoned 
emigrant  wagon  high  up  in  the  California  Sierras, 
because  like  Cherubim  and  Seraphim  he  "  continu 
ally  did  cry."  The  little  one  was  nearly  dead,  and  its 
mother,  lying  beside  it,  was  quite  so,  when  they 
were  discovered  by  the  tender-hearted  engineer. 
He  had  fought  his  way  through  a  blinding  snow 
storm  and  high -piled  drifts  to  the  abandoned 


8&  Raftmatea : 

wagon  on  the  chance  of  finding  human  beings  in 
distress.  When  he  discovered  only  a  forlorn  little 
bull-pup,  he  buttoned  it  warmly  under  his  blanket 
overcoat  and  fought  his  way  back  to  camp.  Dur 
ing  that  struggle  the  helpless  creature  won  its  way 
to  Billy  Brackett's  heart,  as  all  young  things,  hu 
man  or  animal,  were  sure  to  do,  and  assumed  a 
place  there  that  had  never  since  been  resigned. 

From  that  day  Bim,  or  "U-Bim,"  as  he  was 
sometimes  called,  had  so  thrived  under  good  feed 
ing,  kind  care,  and  judicious  training  that  when  he 
started  with  his  master  to  voyage  down  the  great 
river  he  was  as  fine  a  specimen  of  a  full-blooded 
bull-dog  as  could  be  found  in  the  country.  He 
was  pure  white,  bow-legged,  and  broad-chested. 
His  upper  lip  was  drawn  slightly  back,  so  as  to 
display  his  teeth ;  but  this  expression  of  ferocity 
was  relieved  by  the  almost  human  intelligence  of 
his  eyes.  He  was  absolutely  fearless,  but  as  lov 
ing  and  gentle  as  he  was  brave.  He  understood 
every  word  spoken  within  his  hearing,  and  his 
master  declared  that  for  his  wisdom  he  ought  to 
be  named  "  Solomon."  He  never  made  an  un 
provoked  assault  upon  a  living  creature,  and  would 
stand  any  amount  of  abuse  from  children  or  those 
weaker  than  himself.  Let  an  indignity  be  offered 
to  his  beloved  master  in  his  presence,  though,  and 
his  fury  was  as  terrible  as  that  of  a  young  lion- 


A  8tory  of  the  Great  River.  83 

Then  woe  to  the  unfortunate  in  whose  flesh  those 
gleaming  teeth  were  once  fastened.  From  the 
vise-like  grip  of  the  powerful  jaws  behind  them 
nothing  but  death  or  Billy  Brackett's  command 
could  effect  a  release. 

Such  were  the  occupants  of  the  skiff  that  soon 
after  dusk  shot  out  from  the  mouth  of  the  Caspar 
Creek  on  the  broad  bosom  of  the  great  river. 
Billy  Brackett  talked  to  his  dog  as  he  would  to  a 
human  companion,  and  at  that  moment  he  was 
saying  : 

u  Look  here,  Bim,  I've  a  great  mind  to  play  a 
joke  on  that  young  nephew  of  ours  when  we  find 
him.  You  see,  he  won't  know  us  from  Adam, 
and  probably  doesn't  remember  that  he  has  an 
Uncle  William  in  the  world.  Now  what  is  to  hin 
der  us  from  working  the  stranger  racket  on  him  ? 
Wrecked,  or  broke,  or  something,  and  want  to  earn 
a  passage  down  the  river  on  a  raft,  it  being  easier 
as  well  as  more  sociable  and  pleasanter  in  every 
way  than  a  steamboat.  What's  to  hinder  us  from 
doing  it,  eh  ?  Nothing  ?  Right  you  are,  old  dog, 
and  we'll  do  it,  too,  if  we  get  the  chance.  Thus 
will  we  discover  what  sort  of  stuff  he  is  made  of, 
and  get  acquainted  with  his  inside  self,  as  Glen 
Eddy  used  to  say.  So  you  understand,  U-Bim, 
that  you  are  not  to  give  us  away  or  let  on  that  we 
are  any  kin  to  the  Caspars.  Sabe  f  All  right. 


84  fiaftmates  : 

Now  for  a  twenty-mile  spin  down-stream,  and  then 
we'll  hunt  a  place  to  lie  by  for  the  night." 

With  this  the  young  man  bent  lustily  to  his 
oars,  while  Bim  sat  in  the  stern  of  the  skiff,  alert 
to  every  movement  made  by  his  master,  and  sway 
ing  his  body  like  that  of  a  genuine  cockswain. 

Billy  Brackett  recognized  the  "  Slant  Crossing," 
when  they  reached  it,  from  the  description  he  had 
received  of  its  length  and  direction  ;  but  below 
that  point  the  river  for  a  thousand  miles  was  a 
blank  so  far  as  his  personal  knowledge  of  it  was 
concerned. 

Although  the  night  was  dark,  and  there  were 
but  few  guide-lights  on  the  river  in  those  days,  he 
found  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  channel  until 
the  skiff  passed  through  the  chute  at  the  head  of 
Whin's  island.  At  this  point  the  false  channel 
seemed,  in  the  darkness,  to  be  as  wide  and  desir 
able  as  the  true  one,  and  for  a  minute  he  was 
puzzled  as  to  which  he  should  take.  "  Not  that  I 
suppose  it  would  make  any  great  difference,"  he 
remarked  to  Bim.  "It's  about  time  to  tie  up, 
though,  and  we  want  to  be  sure  to  do  that  on  the 
main  channel,  so  as  not  to  miss  a  chance  of  seeing 
the  raft  at  daylight." 

For  answer  Bim  left  his  seat,  ran  to  the  bow  of 
the  boat,  uttered  a  short  bark,  and  fixed  his  gaze 
pointedly  down-stream. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  85 

"  A  light,  as  sure  as  you  are  a  dog  of  wisdom!" 
cried  Billy  Bracket!,  looking  in  the  direction  thus 
indicated.  "  I  vow,  Bim,  your  name  ought  to  be 
4  Solomon  Minerva,'  and  I  must  have  a  'howl' 
engraved  on  your  collar  the  first  chance  I  get. 
That  is,  if  you  ever  arrive  at  the  dignity  of  owning 
any  collar  besides  that  old  strap.  Your  light  looks 
as  though  it  might  proceed  from  a  camp-fire,  and 
I  reckon  it's  on  the  main  channel  too.  At  any 
rate,  we'll  pull  down  there  and  make  inquiries." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  skiff  was  run  ashore 
near  the  beacon  blaze  that  Winn  Caspar  had  left 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island,  and  its  occupants 
were  searching  the  vicinity  for  those  whom  Billy 
Brackett  had  so  confidently  expected  to  find 
near  it. 

"It  is  very  strange,"  he  muttered.  "  Some  one 
must  have  built  this  fire ;  but  why  he  did  so  if  he 
didn't  want  to  camp  beside  it  beats  me.  Hello ! 
What's  this  ?  Hooray  ;  we  are  on  the  right  track 
after  all !  But  what  foolishness  is  that  boy  up  to  ? 
and  what  can  he  be  doing  on  this  island  ?  Thirdly, 
where  is  the  raft  ?  Eh,  Bim  !  You  haven't  seen 
a  stray  raft  round  here,  have  you  ?  No.  I  thought 
you  would  have  mentioned  it  if  you  had.  So 
he  is  on  this  island  is  he  ?  and  leaves  word  that 
we  can  find  him  by  following  the  trail  ?  Perhaps 
the  trail  leads  to  the  raft ;  but  where  is  the  trail  ? 


86  Rafttnates : 

Hello!  you've  struck  it,  have  you?  Good  dog! 
Here,  let  me  tie  this  bit  of  twine  to  your  collar. 
There  ;  now  you're  better  than  a  lantern." 

As  we  all  know,  the  trail  upon  which  Billy 
Brackett  and  Bim  were  thus  started  led  directly 
to  the  log-hut  in  the  forest.  When  the  former 
discovered  this,  he  fully  expected  to  find  his 
nephew  within.  To  his  surprise,  although  a  fire 
smouldered  on  the  hearth,  there  was  no  other  sign 
of  human  occupancy.  Then  the  young  man 
searched  in  vain  for  some  bit  of  writing,  such  as 
had  guided  him  to  this  point. 

"  I  declare !"  he  exclaimed  at  length  ;  "  the 
corollary  is  worse  than  the  theorem,  and  things  are 
becoming  so  decidedly  mixed  that  we  must  begin 
to  go  slow.  I  for  one  propose  to  replenish  that 
fire,  and  then  bunk  down  right  here  for  the  rest  of 
the  night." 

With  this  the  young  man  went  out  into  the 
darkness  and  began  groping  about  for  wood  with 
which  to  keep  up  the  fire  until  morning. 

In  the  mean  time,  Bim,  left  to  his  own  devices, 
had  struck  the  trail  leading  from  the  hut  to  Winn's 
camp,  and  started  along  it,  probably  thinking  that 
his  master  was  following  him  as  before.  The  dog 
soon  discovered  Winn,  and  undertook  to  establish 
friendly  relations  with  him  by  rubbing  his  cold 
nose  against  the  boy's  cheek.  The  suddenness 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  81 

with  which  Winn  started  up  caused  the  dog  to 
spring  back  into  the  darkness,  from  the  shelter  of 
which  he  regarded  his  new  acquaintance  distrust 
fully.  Just  then  Billy  Brackett,  to  cheer  the 
loneliness  of  his  log-hut,  began  to  chant  the  ballad 
of  "  The  Baldheaded  Man,"  and  Birn,  hearing  his 
master's  voice,  darted  off  in  that  direction. 

Now  Billy  Brackett,  though  very  fond  of  music, 
and  possessed  of  an  inextinguishable  longing  to 
produce  melodious  sounds,  could  not  sing  any 
more  than  Bim  could.  His  efforts  in  this  line  had 
so  often  been  greeted  with  derisive  shouts  and 
unkind  remarks  by  his  engineering  comrades  that 
he  no  longer  attempted  to  sing  in  public.  When 
alone,  however,  and  out  of  hearing  of  his  fellows, 
he  still  sometimes  broke  forth  into  song.  Bim 
always  howled  in  sympathy,  but  the  effect  of  their 
combined  efforts  had  never  been  so  surprising  as 
upon  the  present  occasion,  when  they  caused  the 
precipitate  flight  from  the  island  of  the  very 
nephew  for  whom  the  young  engineer  was 
searching. 

In  blissful  ignorance  of  this  unfortunate  result 
of  their  performance,  Billy  Brackett  and  Bim  sang 
and  howled  in  concert,  until  their  repertory  was 
exhausted,  when  they  lay  down  on  the  floor  of  the 
hut,  and  with  the  facility  of  those  to  whom  camp 
life  has  become  a  second  nature,  were  quickly  asleep. 


88     Haftrnates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

From  this  slumber  Billy  Brackett  was  startlingly 
awakened,  some  time  later,  by  Bim's  bark,  and  a 
pistol  shot  that  rang  out  from  the  profound  still 
ness  of  the  forest  like  a  thunder-clap.  He  grasped 
the  dog's  collar  and  sat  up.  Before  he  could  rise 
any  farther  there  came  a  roar  of  guns,  a  trampling 
of  feet,  a  confusion  of  voices,  a  rush,  and  a  crashing 
of  wood.  The  next  instant  the  door  of  his  hut  was 
burst  in,  and  the  room  was  filled  with  armed  men, 
every  one  of  whom  seemed  to  be  pointing  a  rifle 
or  a  pistol  straight  at  his  devoted  head. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  TRAPPERS  TRAPPED. 

WHEN  the  leader  of  the  party  by  whom  Winn 
had  been  made  prisoner  (as  related  in  the  last  chap 
ter  but  one)  peered  cautiously  in  at  the  open  win 
dow  of  the  log-hut  to  make  certain  that  it  was  oc 
cupied,  he  was  disappointed  to  discover  but  one 
man,  where  he  had  confidently  expected  to  find 
several. 

This  leader,  who  had  told  Winn  that  his  name  was 
Riley,  was  a  Sheriff,  though  such  a  new  one  that 
this  was  his  first  important  undertaking  since  as 
suming  office.  Consequently  he  was  most  anxious 
for  its  success,  and  also  somewhat  nervous  from 
anxiety.  He  had  laid  his  plans  well,  the  hut  was 
completely  surrounded,  and  he  was  elated  at  the 
thought  of  the  prize  so  surely  within  his  grasp,  as 
well  as  of  the  glory  that  would  be  his  for  effecting 
this  important  capture.  He  expected  to  find  sev 
eral  men  in  the  hut,  and  counted  upon  their  being 
desperate  characters  who  would  make  a  stout  re 
sistance  before  yielding  themselves  prisoners.  The 
Sheriff  had  therefore  prepared  his  followers  for  a 


90  Raftmates : 

fight,  and  made  all  his  arrangements  with  this  in 
prospect.  Now,  to  discover  but  one  man,  and  he 
peacefully  sleeping,  caused  these  warlike  prepara 
tions  to  appear  ridiculous,  and  called  for  a  decided 
modification  of  Mr.  Riley's  plans. 

Having  satisfied  himself  by  a  careful  survey  that 
the  man  had  no  companions,  and  that  the  hut  con 
tained  no  rifles  nor  other  fire-arms,  the  Sheriff  re 
tired  noiselessly  from  the  window  and  rejoined 
his  followers.  He  explained  the  situation  in  a 
whisper,  and  then  proposed  that  as  they  could  not 
fight  a  single  unarmed  man,  they  should  paralyze 
him  with  terror.  As  the  Sheriff  expressed  it,  they 
would  "  scare  him  stiff  "  by  a  general  discharge  of 
guns,  a  yell,  and  a  rush  for  the  door.  These  were 
to  follow  a  signal  that  he  would  give  from  his  post' 
at  the  open  window,  through  which  he  would 
cover  the  sleeping  man  with  his  revolver. 

The  new  programme  being  understood,  the  Sher 
iff  returned  to  his  station,  pointed  his  pistol  at 
Billy  Brackett's  head,  and  was  about  to  order  him 
to  throw  np  his  hands  and  surrender,  when  he 
made  a  slight  movement  that  aroused  Bim.  This 
faithful  sentinel  sprang  up  with  a  loud  bark.  In 
the  dim  light  Sheriff  Riley  had  not  noticed  the 
dog,  and  he  was  so  much  upset  by  this  unexpected 
challenge  that  his  finger  closed  on  the  hair-trigger 
of  his  revolver.  Fortunately  his  aim  was  so  wild 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  91 

that  no  harm  was  done  by  the  shot  that  followed. 
It  was  all  the  signal  that  the  Sheriff's  followers 
needed,  and  they  immediately  carried  out  their 
part  of  the  programme  to  the  letter. 

When  the  tumult  subsided,  the  situation  was  as 
already  described.  Billy  Brackett  sat  on  the  floor, 
grasping  Bim's  collar,  and  awaiting  further  devel 
opments  as  calmly  as  though  he  were  merely  a 
disinterested  spectator  of  this  unique  performance. 
The  dog,  witli  teeth  displayed  to  an  alarming  ex 
tent,  stood  ready  to  fly  at  the  invaders  whenever 
he  should  be  released.  In  front  of  this  group,  and 
a  few  paces  from  it,  stood  half  a  dozen  men,  all  of 
whom  held  guns  that  were  pointed  at  the  young 
engineer.  The  form  of  the  Sheriff,  with  pistol  still 
levelled  at  his  prisoner,  appeared  at  the  open 
window. 

"  Do  you  surrender  ?"  he  demanded. 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Billy  Brackett,  cheerfully ; 
"  if  you  desire  it.  I'm  always  ready  to  accommo 
date,  especially  when  it's  no  trouble  to  do  so." 

"  Throw  up  your  hands,  then,"  commanded  the 
Sheriff. 

"  To  do  that,"  argued  the  prisoner,  without  mov 
ing,  "  I  shall  be  obliged  to  let  go  my  hold  of  this 
bull-dog.  The  moment  I  do  so  our  friends  with 
the  empty  guns  will  be  apt  to  fancy  that  about  a 
yard  of  particularly  hot  and  well-greased  lightning 


9S  Raftmates  : 

has  been  forged  for  their  especial  benefit.  Still,  if 
you  insist — " 

"Oh,  hang  your  dog!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Riley. 
"You  must  hold  on  to  him,  of  course,  until  we 
can  find  a  rope  to  tie  him  with.  Where  are  your 
pals?" 

"This  is  the  only  one  I  have  at  present,"  an 
swered  Billy  Brackett,  indicating  Bim  by  a  glance ; 
"  but  I  am  in  search  of  another,  and  have  reason 
to  believe  that  he  is  on  this  island  at  this  very 
minute.  Haven't  seen  anything  of  him,  have 
you  ?  He  is  a  young  fellow,  about  sixteen,  named 
Caspar,  son  of  Major  Caspar,  of  Caspar's  Mill,  up 
the  river  a  bit.  He  left  home  yesterday  on  a 
raft,  and  I  was  to  join  him  hereabouts." 

"  What  sort  of  a  raft  ?"  asked  the  Sheriff. 

"Big  timber  raft.  Two  sweeps  at  each  end, 
and  three  shanties  on  it,  two  of  them  filled  with 
wheat." 

"  No,"  replied  Mr.  Kiley,  in  a  relieved  tone ;  for 
on  hearing  the  well-known  name  of  Caspar  his  men 
had  exchanged  meaning  looks  and  smiles,  which 
indicated  their  belief  that  the  Sheriff  might  be 
getting  into  hot-water.  "  I  did  arrest  a  young 
rascal  of  about  that  age  half  an  hour  ago,"  he  con 
tinued,  "just  as  he  was  leaving  this  island  on  a 
raft ;  but  it  was  only  a  small  affair,  built  of  two 
or  three  logs,  and  not  at  all  such  a  raft  as  you 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  9S 

describe.  I've  got  the  boy  out  here  now,  and  I 
believe  him  to  be  one  of  your  pals,  in  spite  of 
your  cheeky  talk.  You  don't  want  to  give  me 
any  more  of  it,  either,"  he  concluded,  in  a  fierce 
tone,  assumed  to  reassert  the  dignity  of  his  office. 
"So  just  cork  up,  and  come  along  quietly,  or  you 
may  find  yourself  in  trouble." 

"All  right,"  replied  Billy  Brackett,  calmly; 
"but  first,  perhaps  you'll  be  kind  enough  to  tell 
me  who  you  are,  why  you  are  taking  such  an  in 
terest  in  me,  and  where  you  want  me  to  go." 

"  I  am  the  Sheriff  of  Dubuque  County,  Iowa," 
was  the  answer.  "  I  have  a  warrant  for  your 
arrest  as  a  member  of  the  most  dangerous  gang  of 
counterfeiters  that  has  ever  operated  in  this  sec 
tion  of  country,  and  I  want  you  to  go  with  me 
to  the  county  jail,  which  will  be  only  a  stopping- 
place  on  your  journey  to  State-prison." 

"  I  am  pleased  to  make  your  acquaintance,  Mr. 
Sheriff,  and  obliged  for  your  courtesy,"  said  Billy 
Brackett,  politely.  "  Now  if  you  will  do  me  the 
favor  to  read  the  names  mentioned  in  your  war 
rant,  I  shall  have  nothing  further  to  request." 

"William  Gresham,  alias  Gilder,  et  al."  re 
plied  Mr.  Riley. 

"  Good.  But  suppose  I  can  prove  to  you  that  I 
am  not  the  person  you  take  me  to  be,  and  that  my 
name  is  neither  Gresham  nor  Gilder,  et  al.,  but 


94  Raftmates : 

that  I  am  a  civil  engineer,  William  Brackett  by 
name,  brother-in-law  of  Major  Caspar,  whom  I  am 
certain  you  must  know,  and  that  you  are  making 
a  rather  sizable  mistake  in  connection  with  this 
business.  Supposing,  also,  I  state  that  I  am  just 
now  engaged  on  an  important  mission  which  will 
not  admit  of  delay,  and  that  in  case  you  insist  on 
taking  me  to  jail,  I  can  and  will  make  you  suffer, 
even  to  the  extent  of  losing  your  office. 

By  this  time  Billy  Brackett  was  standing  up, 
while  Bim,  reluctantly  obeying  his  stern  com 
mand,  lay  motionless  at  his  feet.  The  men  of  the 
Sheriff's  posse  had  ceased  to  level  their  guns  at 
the  young  engineer,  and  even  Mr.  Riley  was  so 
impressed  with  this  bold  attitude  and  declaration 
of  innocence  that  he  consented  to  come  inside  the 
hut  and  examine  the  papers  offered  for  his  inspec 
tion.  He  was  about  to  declare  his  satisfaction 
with  them,  and  admit  that  perhaps  he  had  made 
a  mistake,  when  the  man  whom  he  had  left  to 
guard  Winn  rushed  up  with  the  announcement 
that  his  prisoner  had  escaped. 

At  this  the  Sheriff's  face  clouded  angrily.  "  We'll 
find  him  if  he  is  still  on  the  island !"  he  exclaimed. 
"If  he  has  left  it  we'll  follow  him;  and,  at  any 
rate,  Mr.  Brackett,  I  must  now  insist  upon  your 
coming  to  Dubuque,  where  you  will  be  granted 
every  opportunity  for  proving  what  you  please. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Eiver.  96 

In  the  mean  time,  you  and  I  will  await  here  the 
result  of  the  search  for  the  escaped  prisoner  that 
my  men  will  at  once  proceed  to  make." 

To  this  Billy  Brackett  returned  no  answer,  but 
stood  silently  considering  how  he  should  avoid 
the  vexatious  delay  that  now  appeared  inevitable. 
While  he  was  thus  cudgelling  his  brains,  one  of  the 
searching  party  returned  to  report  that  the  skiff 
in  which  they  had  come  up  the  river  was  missing. 

The  Sheriff  became  furious.  "  I  don't  believe 
it !"  he  cried.  "  Here,  you  !  Stop  and  guard  this 
prisoner,  while  I  go  and  take  charge  of  the  search 
myself." 

As  Mr.  Biley  departed,  the  new  guard  entered 
the  hut,  leaned  his  rifle  against  the  wall,  and  took 
a  seat  near  the  door. 

Then  Billy  Brackett  stooped  and  whispered  to  his 
ever-faithful  comrade,  "Watch  him,  Bim  !"  and  the 
dog  answered  with  a  low  growl  that  spoke  volumes. 
Turning  to  the  guard  the  young  engineer  said, 
"  My  friend,  if  you  make  the  slightest  motion  or 
shout  for  help,  that  bull -dog  will  fly  at  your 
throat.  I  am  going  to  leave  you  alone  with  him 
for  a  minute,  and  as  you  value  your  life,  I  beg  of 
you  to  keep  perfectly  quiet  until  you  hear  from 
me."  With  this  the  prisoner  leaped  lightly  from 
the  window  and  disappeared. 

For  two  minutes  the  guard  sat  as  motionless 


96     Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

as  though  carved  from  stone,  his  fascinated  gaze 
fixed  on  the  gleaming  teeth  and  bloodshot  eyes 
of  the  bull-dog  that  stood  rigidly  before  him. 
Then  a  shrill  whistle  rang  out  on  the  still  air, 
and  at  its  sound  the  dog,  dashing  past  him,  dis 
appeared  like  a  flash.  In  another  minute  Billy 
Brackett's  lusty  strokes  were  sending  his  own 
skiff  dancing  out  towards  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel,  while  Bim,  thumping  with  his  tail  in 
appreciation  of  his  master's  praises,  occupied  the 
stern  seat  as  calmly  as  though  with  him  such 
events  as  those  just  recorded  were  of  e very-day 
occurrence. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WINN'S   LONELY    CRUISE. 

DURING  the  half -hour  that  "Winn  allowed  to 
el»pse  before  he  considered  it  safe  to  rise  from  his 
recumbent  position  in  the  bottom  of  the  skiff,  he 
had  ample  opportunity  to  recover  his  breath,  and 
reflect  upon  the  new  situation  into  which  he  had 
been  eo  strangely  forced.  At  first  he  fancied  that 
he  heard  sounds  of  pursuit,  and  momentarily 
expected  to  be  greeted  by  a  stern  order  from  the 
bank  to  bring  the  skiff  ashore.  He  wondered  if  a 
failure  to  comply  would  be  followed  by  a  rifle 
shot,  and  then  began  to  calculate  the  chances  of 
being  hit  in  such  a  case.  But  why  should  he  be 
shot  at  ?  What  had  he  done  that  he  should  be 
arrested,  threatened  with  jail  and  hanging,  and 
treated  like  an  outlaw  generally  ?  Whom  did  these 
men  take  him  for  ?  and  who  were  they  ?  By  the 
manner  in  which  they  had  spoken  of  a  judge,  they 
must  represent  the  law  in  some  way ;  but  why  he 
should  be  an  object  of  their  pursuit  puzzled  the 
boy  more  than  a  little. 

To  be  sure,  he  had  now  laid  himself  open  to  the 


98  Raftmate* : 

suspicion  of  being  a  river  thief,  by  carrying  off 
their  skiff.  Would  it  not  be  well  to  return  it  at 
once  ?  He  could  talk  to  them,  and  explain  how  he 
happened  to  be  on  the  island,  while  still  at  such  a 
distance  from  shore  as  to  be  beyond  their  reach. 
They  might  shoot,  though,  and  if  they  really  con 
sidered  him  the  rascal  they  pretended,  it  was 
almost  certain  that  they  would.  No,  that  plan 
would  not  work.  The  only  thing  left  to  be  done 
was  to  take  the  skiff  to  Dubuque,  telegraph  to  his 
father  from  there,  or  try  and  find  one  of  the 
Major's  friends  in  that  city  who  would  do  so  for 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  provide  him  with  food 
and  shelter  until  his  father  came.  Yes,  that  was 
the  best  plan. 

Having  reached  this  determination,  Winn  sat 
up  and  looked  about  him.  The  light  which  he 
had  mistaken  for  dawn  was  that  of  a  late-rising 
moon,  and  it  hardly  penetrated  the  mist  hanging 
low  over  the  river.  There  was  nothing  in  sight ; 
not  even  the  dark  mass  of  timber  on  the  island. 
Winn  might  have  been  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean 
for  all  that  he  could  see  or  hear.  Never  in  his 
life  had  the  boy  felt  so  utterly  forsaken  and  alone. 
He  decided  to  pull  diagonally  across  the  current 
towards  shore,  the  mere  sight  of  which  would  be 
reassuring.  But  where  were  the  oars?  Until 
this  moment  he  had  not  noticed  that  there  were 


A  Story  of  the  Great  jRwer.  99 

none  in  the  boat.  For  some  unknown  reason  they 
had  been  taken  from  it  when  the  party  landed  on 
the  island ;  and  now  the  lonely  navigator  was  utterly 
without  the  means  of  propelling  or  even  guiding 
his  craft.  He  tried  to  tear  up  one  of  the  floor 
boards,  with  the  idea  of  using  it  as  a  paddle ;  but  it 
was  nailed  in  place  so  firmly  as  to  resist  his  utmost 
efforts.  Finally,  faint  for  want  of  food,  exhausted, 
and  disheartened,  the  poor  boy  threw  himself  in 
the  bottom  of  the  skiff  and  yielded  to  his  despair. 
At  length  he  fell  asleep. 

So  the  dawn  of  Winn's  second  day  on  the  river 
caught  him  napping,  as  the  first  had  done.  In  its 
gray  light  the  skiff  drifted  past  the  little  city  of 
Dubuque,  perched  high  on  the  bluffs  of  the  western 
bank,  but  no  one  saw  it.  There  were  several 
steamboats  and  trading  scows  tied  to  the  narrow 
levee,  but  their  crews  were  still  buried  in  slumber. 
Even  had  they  been  awake  they  would  hardly 
have  noticed  the  little  craft  far  out  in  the  stream, 
drifting  with  the  hurrying  waters.  In  a  few  min 
utes  it  was  gone,  and  the  sleeping  city  was  none 
the  wiser  for  its  passing.  So  for  hours  it  drifted, 
now  bow  on,  then  broadside  to,  and  as  often  stern 
first ;  here  caught  and  spun  round  by  an  eddy, 
then  tossed  aside  and  allowed  to  proceed  on  its  un- 
guided  course.  The  cotton-woods  on  the  tow- 
heads  beckoned  to  it  with  their  trembling  fingers ; 


100  Rafimates : 

but  it  paid  no  heed.  Grim  snags  lay  in  wait  for 
it,  but  it  nimbly  avoided  them,  and  as  the  hours 
passed  each  one  of  them  saw  the  drifting  skiff 
some  miles  farther  away  from  the  island  at  which 
this  strange  voyage  was  begun. 

When  Winn  finally  awoke,  he  was  so  bewildered, 
and  so  much  at  a  loss  to  account  for  his  surround 
ings,  that  for  a  minute  he  lay  motionless,  collecting 
his  scattered  senses.  It  certainly  was  late  in  the 
day,  for  the  sun  was  shining  full  upon  him  from 
high  in  the  heavens.  He  had  that  comfort  at 
least ;  but  oh  !  how  he  ached  from  lying  on  that 
hard  floor,  and  how  faint  he  was  from  hunger. 

The  boy's  head  rested  on  a  thwart,  arid  he  faced 
the  after-end  of  the  skiff.  As  he  was  about  to 
rise,  his  glance  fell  on  something  wrapped  in  news 
paper  and  tucked  under  the  stern  seat.  If  it 
should  only  prove  to  be  food  of  any  description, 
"  even  burned  mush,"  thought  Winn,  grimly,  how 
happy  it  would  make  him  !  In  another  second  he 
was  undoing,  with  eager  fingers,  the  lunch  of 
crackers  and  cheese  that  Sheriff  Riley's  wife  had 
so  thoughtfully  thrust  into  her  husband's  hands  as 
he  left  the  house  the  morning  before,  and  which 
he  had  as  thoughtfully  tucked  under  the  stern 
seat  of  his  skiff.  He  was  probably  thinking  of 
it,  and  wishing  he  had  it,  at  this  very  moment. 
As  for  Winn,  he  was  eating  it  as  fast  as  possible. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Rimer.  101 

and  thinking  that  he  had  never  tasted  such  good 
crackers  or  such  a  fine  piece  of  cheese  in  his  life. 
With  each  mouthful  his  spirits  rose  and  his  strength 
returned,  until,  when  the  last  crumb  had  disap 
peared  and  been  washed  down  with  a  double  hand 
ful  of  sweet  river-water,  the  boy's  pluck  and  cheer 
fulness  were  fully  restored. 

Now  what  should  he  do  ?  He  did  not  know 
that  he  had  passed  Dubuque,  though  he  feared 
that  such  might  be  the  case.  Thinking  of  it 
brought  to  mind  the  island  with  those  upon  whom 
he  had  so  recently  turned  the  tables,  and  left  as 
prisoners  within  its  limits.  He  even  laughed 
aloud  as  he  pictured  them  toiling,  as  he  had  toiled 
the  evening  before,  to  construct  a  raft  on  which  to 
escape.  "  I  wonder  if  they  found  any  one  in  that 
log-hut,"  he  thought,  recalling  its  lighted  window. 
"And,  oh !  if  it  should  have  been  father !  It  might 
have  been.  He  might  have  seen  my  signal-fire, 
found  my  message,  and  got  as  far  as  the  hut.  Now 
what  will  he  do  ?  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  get 
back  !  Why  didn't  I  think  of  all  this  before 
leaving  the  island?  That  was  a  horrid  sound  in 
the  woods,  though.  And  that  animal !  I  wonder 
what  it  could  have  been  ?" 

By  this  time  the  current  had  carried  the  skiff 
close  in  to  the  drowned  bottom-lands  of  the  Illinois 
shore.  They  were  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 


102  Raftmates : 

of  timber,  and  Winn  knew  that  in  many  places  the 
wellnigh  impassable  swamps  which  this  concealed 
extended  back  a  mile  or  more  from  the  channel. 
Otherwise  he  would  have  abandoned  the  skiff  and 
made  the  attempt  to  swim  ashore. 

The  Iowa  bluffs  rose  invitingly  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  On  them  he  saw  a  few  scattered 
settlements,  but  they  were  too  far  away,  and  he 
must  wait  until  the  current  set  him  in  that  direc 
tion  before  thinking  of  making  a  landing.  He  saw 
an  occasional  ferry-boat  making  its  slow  way  across 
the  river,  but  it  was  always  either  too  far  above  him 
or  too  far  below  him  for  his  signals  to  be  noticed, 
and  so  the  hours  dragged  on  until  it  was  late  after 
noon,  and  Winn  was  again  beginning  to  feel  the 
pangs  of  hunger. 

"  I  can't  spend  another  night  in  this  wretched 
boat !"  he  exclaimed  aloud,  when  he  saw  that  the 
Bun  was  within  an  hour  of  its  setting.  "I'll  swim 
the  whole  width  of  the  river  first !" 

During  the  day  he  had  passed  a  number  of  small 
islands,  but  had  not  cared  to  attempt  a  landing  on 
them.  He  knew  that  he  would  be  even  worse  off 
on  an  island  than  in  the  skiff,  and  so  he  had 
watched  them  glide  by  without  giving  them  any 
particular  thought.  Suddenly  it  occurred  to  him 
that  on  any  one  of  these  islands  he  might  pick  up 
an  oar,  a  paddle,  or  at  least  something  that  would 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  103 

answer  in  place  of  these,  and  from  that  instant 
they  acquired  a  new  interest. 

The  next  one  that  he  approached  was  only  a 
tow-head,  which  is  a  sand-bar  on  which  has  sprung 
up  a  thick  growth  of  slender  cotton  -  woods,  or 
other  quick-shooting,  water-loving  trees. 

"  I  might  find  what  I  want  there  as  well  as  on 
a  larger  island,"  thought  Winn,  "  and,  at  any  rate, 
I'll  make  a  try  for  it."  So  when  the  skiff  had 
drifted  as  near  the  tow-head  as  it  seemed  likely  to, 
and  was  rapidly  sliding  past  it,  the  boy  threw  off 
his  coat,  kicked  off  his  shoes,  and,  taking  one  end 
of  the  skiff's  painter  with  him,  plunged  overboard 
and  began  to  swim  towards  the  desired  point. 

The  distance  was  not  more  than  a  hundred  feet, 
but  the  current  swept  him  down  so  much  more 
rapidly  than  he  expected  that  he  was  barely  able 
to  catch  one  of  the  very  last  of  the  tow-head  sap 
lings  and  cling  to  it.  While  his  own  progress  was 
thus  checked,  that  of  the  skiff  was  not,  and  in  a 
second  the  painter  was  jerked  from  his  hand. 

Exhausted  as  he  was,  Winn  was  on  the  point  of 
letting  go  his  hold  on  the  sapling  and  making  a 
desperate  effort  to  overtake  the  rapidly  receding 
skiff.  Fortunately  he  had  enough  practical  sense, 
though  this  is  not  generally  credited  to  sixteen- 
year-old  boys,  to  restrain  him  from  such  a  rash  act. 
So  he  crawled  out  on  the  sand  beach,  and  sat  there 


104  jRaftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  JKiver. 

watching  what  he  considered  to  be  his  only  hope 
grow  smaller  and  smaller  until  it  finally  disap 
peared.  As  it  did  so,  the  sun  slowly  sank  behind 
the  western  bluffs;  and  though  the  boy  did  not 
look  up  from  the  wet  sand  on  which  he  had  flung 
himself,  he  knew  instinctively  that  another  night, 
with  its  darkness,  its  chill,  and  its  nameless  terrors, 
was  upon  him. 

He  was  so  numbed  by  this  latest  disaster  that 
he  had  not  the  heart  even  to  seek  a  place  of 
shelter  for  the  night.  What  good  would  anything 
that  he  could  find  or  construct  do  him?  He  had 
neither  matches  nor  food,  dry  clothing  nor  bedding. 
What  did  it  matter,  though  ?  He  would  probably 
be  dead  before  the  sun  rose  again,  anyway.  So  the 
poor  lad  nursed  his  misery,  and  might,  in  truth, 
have  lain  on  those  wet  sands  until  he  perished,  so 
despairing  was  he,  when  all  at  once  he  was  aroused 
by  a  sound  so  strange  to  hear  in  that  place  that, 
though  he  raised  his  head  to  listen,  he  thought  he 
must  be  dreaming.  He  wasn't,  though,  for  there 
came  again  to  his  ears,  as  distinct  as  anything  ever 
heard  in  his  life,  a  merry  peal  of  clear  girlish 
laughter.  Not  only  that,  but  it  sounded  so  close 
at  hand  that  the  boy  sprang  to  his  feet  and  gazed 
eagerly  in  the  direction  from  which  it  came,  fully 
expecting  to  see  its  author  standing  near  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  PEAL  OP  GIRLISH  LAUGHTER. 

IN  vain  did  Winn  gaze  in  every  direction,  up 
and  down  the  river,  across  its  darkening  waters, 
and  into  the  shadowy  thicket  behind  him.  There 
were  no  objects  in  sight,  save  those  with  which  he 
was  already  only  too  familiar.  Again  he  began  to 
doubt  the  evidence  of  his  senses,  and  wonder  if  his 
mind  had  not  become  somewhat  unsettled  by  his 
misfortunes.  But  no,  there  was  the  ringing  peal 
of  laughter  again.  This  time  it  was  accompanied 
by  a  strange  chattering  sound  such  as  he  had  never 
heard  before.  At  the  same  moment  a  most  de 
licious  whiff  of  frying  bacon  reached  the  hungry 
boy,  mingled  with  the  unmistakable  and  equally 
enticing  odor  of  coffee.  There  was  no  doubt  as  to 
the  direction  from  which  these  came,  and  plunging 
into  the  cotton-wood  thicket,  Winn  made  his  way 
diagonally  up  and  across  the  tow-head. 

In  less  than  a  minute  he  reached  its  opposite 
side,  where  he  halted  to  gaze  with  amazement  at  the 
very  strangest-looking  craft  he  had  ever  seen.  At 
first  he  thought  it  a  small  stern- wheeled  steamboat. 


106  Raftmates  : 

She  certainly  had  such  a  wheel,  but  then  there 
was  no  chimney.  Perhaps  she  was  a  trading- 
scow.  "Who  ever  heard,  though,  of  a  trading- 
scow  with  a  pilot-house  such  as  this  nondescript 
craft  had  on  the  forward  end  of  its  upper  deck? 
Besides,  there  were  no  sweeps,  nor  was  she  in  the 
least  like  any  trading-scow  Winn  had  ever  seen. 
A  low  house  occupied  her  entire  width,  and  ex 
tended  along  her  whole  length  except  at  the  curve 
of  her  bows,  where  there  was  room  left  for  a  small 
deck.  A  structure  with  a  door  and  windows,  that 
was  somewhat  larger  than  the  pilot-house,  rose 
from  the  upper  deck  near  its  after-end.  There 
were  three  doors  on  each  side  of  the  main  house, 
a  large  one  well  forward,  a  small  one  nearly  amid- 
ship,  and  another  large  one  well  aft.  There  were 
also  six  small  windows  on  each  side,  and  from 
three  of  those  nearest  "Winn  a  cheerful  light  was 
streaming,  while  the  other  three  were  dark. 
There  was  a  name  painted  on  the  boat's  side  in 
such  large  black  letters  that  even  in  the  fading 
twilight  Winn  managed  to  read  it— "  W-H-A-T- 
X-O-T?  he  spelled  slowly— "  Whatnot !  Well, 
if  that  isn't  the  queerest  name  for  a  boat  I  ever 
heard  of  I" 

Just  then,  however,  there  were  things  of  far 
greater  importance  to  a  boy  in  his  situation  than 
queer  names.  The  tantalizing  odors  that  were 


A  Story  of  tlie  Great  River.  107 

pouring  from  that  after-window,  for  instance,  and 
the  sound  of  voices  that  rang  out  merrily  from 
the  two  just  beyond  it.  The  boat  was  moored  to 
a  tree,  with  her  bows  pointed  up-stream,  and  had 
swung  in  so  close  to  shore  that  by  standing  on  a 
half-submerged  log,  which  served  as  a  fender  to 
keep  her  off  a  few  feet  from  the  bank,  Winn 
could  look  into  one  of  the  open  windows.  It  was 
evidently  that  of  the  galley,  for  the  odor  of  frying 
came  from  it,  and  half  hidden  in  a  cloud  of  fra 
grant  steam  was  the  form  of  a  negro  bending  over 
a  small  stove. 

This  was  a  welcome  and  comforting  sight ;  but 
hungry  as  he  was,  W inn's  curiosity  was  stronger 
than  his  appetite.  He  must  see  into  those  other 
windows,  and  discover  the  source  of  the  merry 
laughter  that  had  so  suddenly  banished  his  loneli 
ness  and  despair  of  a  few  minutes  before.  Cau 
tiously  advancing  a  few  steps  along  the  slippery 
log,  he  reached  a  point  that  commanded  a  view  of 
the  room  or  compartment  next  forward  of  the 
galley.  It  was  of  good  size,  and  occupied  the  en 
tire  width  of  the  boat. 

In  the  centre  of  this  room  was  a  table  spread 
for  supper,  and  beside  it,  so  as  to  take  advantage 
of  its  bright  lamp,  was  a  group  that  to  Winn  ap 
peared  both  extraordinary  and  fascinating.  A 
white-haired  old  man  was  seated  before  an  easel. 


108  Raftmates : 

on  which  was  stretched  a  large  canvas.  A  young 
girl  stood  near  him  watching  the  movements  of 
his  brush  with  deep  interest,  and  at  the  same  time 
evidently  restraining,  with  gentle  but  firm  hands, 
the  impatient  struggles  of  something  which  she 
addressed  as  "Don  Blossom,"  but  whether  it  was 
a  child  or  an  animal  Winn  could  not  see.  In  his 
effort  to  do  so  he  stood  on  tiptoe,  and  just  as 
the  old  man  began  to  say,  "  There,  Sabella,  that 
will  do  for  this  sitting,"  the  boy's  treacherous 
footing  slipped  from  under  him. 

With  a  half-suppressed  cry  and  a  loud  splash 
he  was  plunged  headlong  into  the  narrow  space 
of  water  between  the  boat  and  the  shore. 

A  frightened  exclamation  came  from  the  in 
terior  of  the  boat,  and  then  the  small  door  on  that 
side  was  flung  open.  At  the  same  instant  a  woolly 
head  was  thrust  out  of  the  galley  window,  and  a 
trembling  voice  cried,  "  Golly,  Marse  Cap'n ! 
Wha'  dat  ar?  Yo'  heah  urn  ?" 

"  Yes,  Solon,  I  heard  it,  and  you  want  to  come 
here  as  quick  as  you  can.  Some  one  is  in  trou 
ble,"  answered  the  old  man,  who  was  standing 
with  the  girl  in  the  open  doorway.  He  held  a 
lamp  above  his  head,  and  was  peering  anxiously 
in  the  direction  of  the  splashings  and  floun- 
derings  that  Winn,  sitting  in  the  shallow  water, 
but  tightly  wedged  between  the  log  and  the 


"'WHO'S   THERE?'    CUIKD   THE    OLD    MAN." 


A  8tory  of  the  Great  River.  109 

boat,  was  making  in  hie  efforts  to  extricate  him 
self. 

"  Who's  there  ?"  cried  the  old  man,  who  could 
not  yet  make  out  what  was  taking  place;  "and 
what  are  you  doing  ?" 

"  It's  me !"  returned  Winn,  regardless  of  hie 
grammar ;  "  and  I  am  sinking  in  this  awful  mud. 
Hurry  up  and  push  your  boat  away  from  the  log, 
or  I  shall  be  drowned !" 

While  the  old  man  and  the  negro  exerted  all 
their  strength  at  the  pole,  with  which  they  finally 
succeeded  in  pushing  the  boat  a  foot  or  so  out 
into  the  stream,  Sabella  was  also  busy.  Though 
greatly  excited,  and  somewhat  alarmed  by  the 
unexpected  appearance  of  a  human  being  in  that 
place,  and  his  perilous  situation,  she  still  had  pres 
ence  of  mind  enough  to  run  for  a  rope,  one  end 
of  which  she  fastened  to  the  table.  She  carried 
the  other  end  out  through  the  door,  and  tossed  it 
over  the  side  just  in  time  for  Winn  to  catch  it,  as 
the  moving  of  the  boat  once  more  gave  him  free 
dom  of  action. 

Hauling  himself  up  by  this  welcome  rope,  and 
at  the  same  time  being  assisted  by  the  two  men, 
the  boy  quickly  gained  the  open  doorway,  where 
he  stood  blinking  in  the  bright  lamplight,  while 
mud  and  water  ran  from  him  in  streams.  He 
faced  the  occupants  of  the  boat,  who,  standing  a 


110  Eaftmates  : 

few  steps  back  in  the  room,  regarded  him  with 
undisguised  wonder,  not  unmixed  with  suspicion. 
On  the  table  behind  them  stood  a  small,  gaudily- 
dressed  object,  that  Winn  at  first  took  to  be  a 
child.  Upon  his  appearance  it  remained  motion 
less  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then,  with  a  frightened 
cry,  it  sprang  to  the  little  girl's  shoulder,  from 
which  it  peered  at  the  stranger,  chattering  angrily 
all  the  while. 

"  Well,  I  am  blest  if  this  isn't  a  most  extraordi 
nary  situation  !"  exclaimed  the  old  man.  "  It  sug 
gests  a  tableau  of  Yenus  rising  from  the  sea." 

"  Or  a  alligator,"  said  the  negro. 

Sabella  wanted  to  laugh  at  the  comical  spectacle 
presented  by  the  dripping,  coatless,  hatless,  bare 
footed,  and  generally  woe-begone  boy ;  but  pity 
ing  his  evident  embarrassment,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  Uncle,  how  can  you  !  Don't  you  see  that  he 
is  shivering  ?  You  must  go  at  once  and  find  him 
some  dry  clothes.  Solon,  show  this  boy  to  the 
engine-room,  where  he  can  change  his  wet  things. 
Don  Blossom,  be  quiet,  sir !  Aren't  you  ashamed 
of  yourself!"  Then,  turning  to  Winn  with  a 
cheery  smile,  she  said,  "  We  are  very  sorry  for 
your  accident,  and  should  like  to  know  all  about 
it  after  you  are  dry  again.  If  you  will  go  with 
Solon  to  the  engine-room,  he  will  do  everything 
he  can  for  you." 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  Ill 

The  Captain  had  already  hastened  away  on  his 
quest  for  dry  clothing.  As  he  left  the  room,  Winn 
noticed  that  he  had  a  wooden  leg.  It  was  not  one 
of  the  modern  kind,  so  carefully  constructed  as 
to  closely  resemble  the  real  article,  but  an  old- 
fashioned,  iron  -  shod  stick  of  timber  strapped  to 
his  right  knee. 

As  Sabella  finished  speaking,  she  too  left  the 
room,  running  after  the  Captain,  and  smiling  cheer 
fully  as  she  went  at  the  mud-streaked  boy,  who 
still  stood  speechless  and  motionless  in  the  door 
way. 

Now,  at  Solon's  invitation  he  followed  the 
negro  into  what  had  been  called  the  engine-room, 
though  to  Winn's  eye  it  looked  as  little  like  an 
engine-room  as  any  place  he  had  ever  known. 
At  one  side  was  a  horse -power  treadmill,  such 
as  he  had  often  seen  used  for  the  sawing  of  wood. 
Half  of  it  was  sunk  below  the  level  of  the  deck, 
and  covered  with  a  removable  floor.  It  was  gear 
ed  in  the  most  direct  and  simple  manner  to  a 
shaft  that  disappeared  through  the  rear  wall  of 
the  room,  and  presumably  connected  with  the 
stern  wheel  he  had  previously  noticed.  There 
was  also  a  belt  extending  to  a  shaft  pulley  over 
head,  but  beyond  this  there  was  no  trace  of  ma 
chinery,  nor  was  there  either  boiler  or  furnace. 
There  was  what  looked  like  a  stall  at  one  end  of 


Raftmates  :  A  Story  of  ike  Great  River. 

the  room,  but  it  contained  only  bales  of  hay  and 
sacks  of  oats. 

"  Yes,  sah,  we  uses  a  inewel-ingine  when  we  hab 
urn.  We  hain't  got  no  inewel  at  de  present  time, 
but  we  'specs  ter  contrac'  fer  one  shortly,"  ex 
plained  the  negro,  noting  Winn's  inquiring  glances, 
as  he  assisted  him  to  remove  his  wet  garments. 

Before  the  boy  had  a  chance  to  ask  the  ques 
tions  that  were  at  his  tongue's  end,  he,  as  well  as 
the  other  occupants  of  the  boat,  was  startled  by  a 
loud  hail  from  the  river. 

"  Hello  !     What  steamer  is  that  ?" 

"  The  Whatnot,  of  Dubuque,"  was  the  answer. 

"Do  you  know  the  Sheriff  of  Dubuque 
County ?" 

«  Who— Kiley  ?     Yes,  I  know  him." 

"  Do  you  know  his  skiff  ?" 

"  As  well  as  I  know  my  own  boat,  for  I  built 
it." 

"  Have  you  seen  it  pass  down  the  river  to-day, 
containing  only  a  boy  between  sixteen  and  seven 
teen  years  old?" 

"No.  Haven't  seen  it  or  any  other  skiff. 
What's  the  matter?  Has  it  been  stolen ?" 

"That  '11  do,  thank  you.  Good -night,"  came 
the  reply,  without  an  answer  to  this  last  question, 
and  then  the  stranger  passed  out  of  hearing  down 
the  river. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"CAP'N  COD,"  SABELLA,  AND  THE   WHATNOT. 

IN  order  to  explain  the  presence  beside  that 
tow-head  of  the  queer  craft  on  board  which  Winn 
had  found  shelter,  and  of  its  several  occupants,  who 
were  making  such  kindly  efforts  to  relieve  his  dis 
tress,  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  twenty-year  glance 
backward.  At  that  time  Aleck  Fifield,  a  Yankee 
jack-of-all-trades,  who  had  been  by  turns  a  school 
teacher,  sailor,  mechanic,  boat-builder,  and  several 
other  things  as  well,  found  himself  employed  as 
stage  -  carpenter  in  a  Boston  theatre.  He  had 
always  been  possessed  of  artistic  tastes,  though 
they  had  never  carried  him  beyond  sign-painting, 
and  of  dramatic  longings,  which  had  thus  far  been 
satisfied  with  a  diligent  reading  of  Shakespeare 
and  attending  the  theatre  at  every  opportunity. 
Now,  being  regularly  connected  with  the  stage, 
both  these  tastes  expanded,  until  through  one  of 
them  he  blossomed  into  a  very  passable  scene- 
painter.  Through  the  other  he  overwhelmed 
himself  with  despair,  and  convulsed  an  audience 
with  laughter,  by  appearing  once,  and  once  only, 


114  Rqftmates : 

as  Captain  Thomas  Codringhampton  in  the  pop 
ular  sea  drama  of  "Blue  Billows."  His  failure 
as  an  actor  was  so  dismal  and  complete  as  to  be 
notorious.  Unkind  comparisons  of  other  bad  act 
ing  with  that  of  Cap'n  Cod  became  stock  jokes 
in  every  theatre  of  the  country.  From  that  day 
the  stage  name  clung  to  him  ;  and  though  it  galled 
at  first,  the  passage  of  time  soothed  the  wound, 
until  finally  Aleck  Fifield  became  proud  of  the 
name.  As  he  grew  older,  it  represented  to  him 
the  fame  for  which  he  had  longed  when  young. 
When  the  war  broke  out  and  he  became  one  of 
the  bravest  defenders  of  the  Union,  he  was  every 
where  known  as  "  Cap'n  Cod."  After  the  war,  in 
which  he  managed  to  lose  a  leg,  he  went  to  Iowa 
to  live  with  his  only  relative,  a  widowed  niece, 
who  had  but  one  child,  a  little  girl. 

Between  this  child,  Sabella,  and  the  white-haired 
veteran,  who  could  tell  more  tales  than  a  fairy- 
book,  and  construct  more  toys  than  Santa  Claus 
ever  dreamed  of,  there  sprang  up  an  affection  that 
could  not  have  been  stronger  had  they  been  father 
and  daughter.  On  one  side  it  was  based  upon 
boundless  love  and  admiration,  and  on  the  other 
upon  admiration  and  boundless  love.  When  Sa 
bella  went  to  school,  the  Captain's  business  kept 
him  within  sight  of  the  school-house;  and  when 
school  was  out,  the  little  girl  was  nowhere  happier 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  115 

than  in  his  company.  For  her  sake  he  was  the 
friend  of  her  friends,  and  among  the  children  of 
Dubuque  no  one  was  so  popular  as  Cap'n  Cod. 
They  did  not  live  in  the  city,  but  on  a  small  farm 
a  few  miles  from  it,  and  this  Cap'n  Cod  was  sup 
posed  to  manage.  Farming  was,  however,  the 
one  occupation  for  which  he  had  no  taste,  and 
but  for  his  capable  niece  the  annual  crops  would 
not  have  paid  the  expense  of  raising  them. 

When  Sabella  was  twelve  years  old  and  rapidly 
developing  into  beautiful  girlhood,  her  mother 
died,  leaving  her  and  her  little  property  to  the 
unrestricted  guardianship  of  Cap'n  Cod.  Now 
matters  went  from  bad  to  worse  so  far  as  the  farm 
was  concerned,  until,  to  save  it  from  the  hammer, 
it  was  deemed  best  to  rent  it  to  a  more  practical 
farmer  than  the  child's  devoted  guardian. 

This  gave  Cap'n  Cod  the  opportunity  and  an 
excuse  for  carrying  out  a  cherished  scheme  that, 
but  for  the  opposition  of  his  niece,  he  would 
have  put  into  operation  long  before.  It  was  the 
painting  of  a  panorama,  the  building  of  a  boat  to 
hold  it,  and  thus  equipped,  to  float  away  down  the 
great  river  in  search  of  fame  and  fortune.  Now  Sa 
bella  must  of  course  be  included  in  the  plan  ;  for 
not  only  did  she  and  Cap'n  Cod  consider  it  impos 
sible  to  get  along  without  each  other,  but  the 
latter  declared  that  such  a  bit  of  travel  would  be 


116  Ra/tmates  : 

the  very  best  kind  of  an  education  for  his  grand- 
niece. 

This  scheme  had  been  in  the  old  man's  mind  for 
so  long  that  the  panorama,  worked  on  at  odd 
moments  for  more  than  two  years,  was  nearly 
finished  at  the  time  of  his  niece's  death.  With  his 
own  savings,  and  largely  by  his  own  labor,  he  now 
built  his  boat,  the  Whatnot.  When  she  was  com 
pleted,  his  money  was  gone.  But  what  of  that? 
Was  he  not  prepared  to  realize  a  fortune?  He 
knew  that  it  would  shortly  be  theirs,  and  Sabella's 
faith  was  strong  as  his.  She  never  for  a  moment 
doubted  that  her  dear  guardian  was  the  artist  he 
claimed  to  be,  or  that  the  panorama  he  had  painted 
was  the  most  perfect  thing  of  its  kind  ever  seen. 
So  she  was  as  enthusiastic  concerning  the  project 
as  the  old  man  himself,  and  eagerly  aided  in  his 
preparations  to  the  full  extent  of  her  ability. 
There  was  but  one  point  on  which  they  disagreed. 
When  Cap'n  Cod  had  exhausted  his  own  re 
sources,  and  the  motive  power  of  the  Whatnot 
still  remained  unprovided,  Sabella  begged  that  he 
would  draw  some  of  her  money  from  the  bank 
and  use  it,  but  this  the  old  man  firmly  declined 
to  do. 

"No,  Sabella,"  he  would  say;  "what  is  mine 
is  yours ;  but  what  is  yours  is  your  own,  and  it 
would  be  as  bad  as  stealing  for  me  to  touch  it." 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  117 

"  But  it  is  mine,"  the  girl  would  argue ;  "  and 
if  I  want  to  give  it  to  you,  more  than  I  want  to 
do  anything  else  with  it,  I  don't  see  why  you 
shouldn't  let  me." 

"  No,  dear,"  her  guardian  would  reply.  "  It  is 
not  yours.  It  is  only  held  in  trust  for  you  until 
you  become  of  age,  by  which  time  you  will  have 
many  other  uses  for  money  besides  gratifying  an 
old  man's  whim." 

"  But  you  will  pay  it  back  long  before  then." 

"  I  might,  and  then  again  I  might  not.  There 
is  nothing  more  uncertain  than  the  things  we  think 
we  are  sure  of." 

Then  the  girl  would  throw  her  arms  about  his 
neck  and  exclaim,  "  Oh,  you  dear  old  stupid ! 
How  horridly  honest  you  are !  and  what  a  beau 
tiful  world  this  would  be  if  everybody  in  it  was 
just  like  you." 

"  Yes,  my  dear ;  Stupidity  and  Honesty  are  apt 
to  be  comrades,  and  undoubtedly  they  would 
make  a  beautiful  world  if  left  to  themselves  ;  but 
it  would  be  frightfully  dull.  Now  don't  you 
worry  your  pretty  head  about  the  mule,  for  we 
can  drift  with  the  current  until  we  have  given 
two  or  three  exhibitions,  and  so  made  money 
enough  to  buy  one.  Then,  having  earned  him, 
how  much  more  shall  we  enjoy  him  than  if  he 
were  only  a  borrowed  mule  ?" 


118  Rafimates : 

Cap'n  Cod  would  have  preferred  a  steamboat 
to  one  propelled  by  mule-power,  but  the  expenses 
of  machinery  and  an  engineer  were  too  great  to  be 
considered.  He  made  the  Whatnot  look  as  much 
like  a  steamboat  as  he  could,  and  even  proposed 
ornamenting  her  with  an  imitation  chimney  as 
soon  as  he  could  afford  such  a  luxury.  He  also 
hoped  soon  to  be  able  to  engage  some  active  young 
fellow  as  deck  hand  and  general  assistant.  In  the 
mean  time  the  Whatnofs  crew  consisted  of  himself, 
Sabella,  and  Solon,  an  old  negro  who  had  been  cook 
of  the  mess  to  which  Cap'n  Cod  had  belonged 
in  the  army,  and  who  had  followed  his  fortunes 
ever  since. 

As  nearly  every  one  in  Dubuque  who  was  at  all 
interested  in  such  things  had  seen  the  panorama 
during  its  painting  and  construction,  and  as  Cap'n 
Cod's  dramatic  reputation  was  well  known  there, 
he  deemed  it  advisable  to  give  the  first  exhibitions 
of  his  show  in  some  smaller  and  less  critical  places. 
He  called  it  a  "  show,"  because,  even  at  the  outset, 
it  contained  two  attractions  besides  the  panorama, 
and  he  hoped  in  the  course  of  time  to  add  still 
others. 

Those  already  on  hand  were  a  monkey  and  a 
hand-organ,  both  of  which  were  much  greater  rar 
ities  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  at  that  time  than 
they  are  now.  They  formerly  belonged  to  an  Ital- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  119 

ian,  who,  sick,  penniless,  and  friendless,  had  sunk 
exhausted  by  the  road-side  a  few  miles  from  Du- 
buque.  Several  persons  passed  him  without  heed 
ing  his  feeble  appeals  for  aid  before  Cap'n  Cod 
happened  along  and  discovered  him.  The  old  sol 
dier  at  once  engaged  a  team,  carried  the  dying 
stranger  home,  and  there,  with  Sabella's  pitying 
aid,  cared  for  him  until  the  end,  which  came  a  few 
days  later.  During  these  last  days  his  monkey  was 
the  man's  inseparable  companion.  It  cuddled  be 
side  him  in  bed,  and  answered  his  feeble  terms  of 
endearment  with  voluble  chatterings.  With  his 
latest  breath  the  dying  stranger  consigned  his  help 
less  pet  to  the  same  pitying  care  that  had  helped 
him  over  the  bitterest  of  all  human  journeys.  He 
said,  uMonka,  Don  Bolossi,  you  keep-a  him  alway." 

So  Don  Bolossi,  Americanized  to  "Don  Blos 
som,"  transferred  all  his  affections  to  Sabella,  and 
with  the  hand-organ,  for  which  no  claimant  could 
be  found,  was  added  to  the  attractions  of  "  Cap'n 
Cod's  Great  Panoramic  Show." 

One  of  the  Captain's  last  bits  of  work  in  Du- 
buque  was  to  build  a  skiff  for  Sheriff  Biley,  and 
with  the  money  thus  earned  to  defray  immediate 
expenses,  the  Whatnot  started  on  her  voyage  down 
the  river  at  sunrise  of  the  very  morning  on  which 
Winn  Caspar  unconsciously  drifted  past  Dubuque 
in  that  very  skiff.  Being  deeper  in  the  water,  the 


120  Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

show-boat  drifted  somewhat  faster  than  the  skifi, 
and  so  had  nearly  caught  up  with  it  by  the  time  the 
tow-head  was  reached.  Here  Cap'n  Cod  deter 
mined  to  tie  up  for  the  night,  as  he  did  not  wish 
to  stop  at  a  town  until  his  final  preparations  for  an 
exhibition  were  made. 

Among  these  was  the  painting  of  a  life-sized 
representation  of  Don  Blossom  hanging  by  his  tail 
from  the  limb  of  a  tree,  which  was  to  be  displayed  on 
the  outside  of  the  boat  as  an  advertisement.  This 
was  the  labor  upon  which  the  Captain  was  engaged 
when  Winn  Caspar  discovered  the  Whatnot.  Sa- 
bella  had  undertaken  to  hold  the  restless  little 
model  from  which  the  white-headed  artist  was 
painting,  and  the  peals  of  laughter  that  attracted 
W  inn's  attention  were  called  forth  by  the  absurd 
ities  of  this  situation. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

BIM  MAKES  AN  ENEMY. 

BILLY  BKACKETT'S  satisfaction  at  his  escape  from 
a  situation  that  promised  to  cause  him  a  vexatious 
delay  was  tinged  with  a  new  anxiety  concerning 
Winn.  As  he  pulled  swiftly  across  the  river,  so 
as  to  be  lost  to  view  from  the  island  as  quick 
ly  as  possible,  he  expressed  his  feelings  aloud 
to  Bim : 

u  What  new  scrape  can  that  young  rascal  have 
got  into  now — eh,  old  dog  ?  It  was  bad  enough  to 
start  down  the  river  alone  on  a  big  raft  without 
even  bidding  his  folks  good-bye ;  but  now  he  seems 
to  have  lost  the  raft  somewhere,  to  have  landed  on 
that  island,  to  have  been  arrested  for  something,  to 
have  escaped,  and  to  have  run  off  with  the  Sheriff's 
boat.  It  looks  as  though  he  had  the  same  happy 
faculty  for  getting  into  scrapes  that  distinguished 
my  young  friend  Glen  Eddy.  Somehow  I  have  a 
fellow-feeling  for  such  boys.  It  is  strange,  too,  for 
I  can't  remember  ever  getting  into  any  scrapes 
myself.  We  must  put  a  stop  to  it,  though,  in 
Winn's  case.  It  will  never  do  for  him  to  be  cavort- 


128  Bqftmate*  : 

ing  about  in  this  scandalous  manner,  so  long  as  we 
are  responsible  for  his  decent  behavior  and  safe 
return.  We  shall  surely  find  him,  and  probably 
the  raft  also,  at  Dubuque.  Then  we  will  take  our 
nephew  in  hand,  and  by  simple  force  of  example 
instruct  him  in  that  dignity  of  deportment  that 
steers  clear  of  scrapes.  Eh,  Biinsey  ?" 

At  this  Bim  sprang  from  his  seat,  and  made 
such  a  violent  effort  to  lick  his  master's  face  that 
the  latter  was  very  nearly  tumbled  over  backward. 
By  the  time  order  was  restored,  daylight  was  be 
ginning  to  appear,  and  the  young  man  saw  that  he 
was  far  enough  below  the  island  for  it  to  be  safe 
to  again  cross  the  river  and  head  for  Dubuque. 
He  reached  this  place  soon  after  sunrise,  or  about 
an  hour  after  Winn  passed  it,  and  a  few  minutes 
after  the  departure  of  the  Whatnot. 

A  hasty  inspection  of  the  various  craft  lining 
the  water-front  of  the  city  convinced  him  that 
the  raft  was  not  among  them.  He  found  several 
persons  who  knew  Sheriff  Eiley's  skiff,  but  none 
of  them  had  seen  it  that  morning.  This,  however, 
did  not  discourage  the  young  engineer,  for  a  skiff 
is  so  much  smaller  than  a  raft  as  to  be  easily  over 
looked.  He  would  make  a  more  thorough  search 
after  visiting  the  hotel,  where  he  hoped  Winn 
might  also  have  gone  for  breakfast. 

On  his  way  he  stopped  at  the  telegraph  office, 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  123 

and  sent  the  following  despatch  to  both  Mrs.  Cas 
par  and  to  the  Major  at  Madison : 

"  Have  heard  of  Winn,  and  am  on  his  track. 
The  boy  is  all  right.  W.  B." 

"That  is  true  so  far  as  it  goes,"  soliloquized 
Billy  Brackett,  "  and  will  relieve  their  present 
anxiety.  By  to-morrow,  or  perhaps  within  a  few 
minutes,  I  shall  certainly  have  something  more 
definite  to  wire." 

At  the  hotel  he  was  greatly  disappointed  to  find 
no  trace  of  the  missing  lad,  and  after  eating  a 
hearty  breakfast  he  made  a  thorough  search  of 
the  water-front,  though  of  course  without  avail. 
He  had  intended  dropping  a  hint  here  and  there 
of  the  predicament  in  which  he  had  left  Sheriff 
Riley  and  his  followers,  but  on  second  thoughts 
concluded  to  let  them  work  out  their  own  plan  of 
escape  from  the  island,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of 
further  delay. 

By  noon  he  was  ready  to  depart  from  Dubuque, 
satisfied  that  there  was  no  information  to  be  gained 
in  that  place  concerning  either  Winn  or  the  raft. 
Although  he  was  not  discouraged,  he  was  puzzled, 
and  was  even  beginning  to  feel  anxious  at  the 
strange  aspect  this  affair  of  the  lost  Venture  was 
assuming. 

Until  sunset  he  rowed  steadily  and  swiftly  down- 


124  Raftmates  : 

stream,  hailing  the  ferrymen  as  he  passed,  and 
stopping  at  the  settlements  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  to  make  inquiries.  He  also  hailed  passing 
boats,  and  boarded  several  rafts  that  he  discovered 
tied  to  the  western  bank,  but  all  in  vain.  He 
failed  to  learn  anything  about  Winn,  and  heard 
that  but  one  raft  had  passed  down  the  river  the 
day  before.  It  was  described  as  having  a  single 
"  shanty,"  a  tent,  and  a  crew  of  three  men.  As  that 
was  not  the  kind  of  a  raft  he  was  looking  for,  this 
information  only  added  to  the  young  man's  per 
plexity.  It  never  occurred  to  him  that  the  raft 
might  have  been  stolen  and  disguised.  So,  as  he 
was  certain  he  haf3  not  passed  it,  there  was  but  one 
solution  to  the  problem.  The  Venture  must  have 
been  wrecked  and  gone  to  pieces  during  the 
storm  of  that  first  night,  and  Winn  must  have 
escaped  to  the  island. 

Even  with  this  explanation  the  mystery  of 
Winn's  second  disappearance  remained  as  great  as 
ever,  and  by  the  time  Billy  Brackett  hailed  the 
Whatriwt,  as  has  already  been  noted,  he  was  as 
thoroughly  bewildered  as  ever  in  his  life.  Nor 
could  he  decide  on  any  plan  of  action  that  seemed 
in  the  least  satisfactory.  He  knew  there  was 
a  town  a  mile  or  so  below  where  the  Whatnot 
lay,  and  there  he  had  determined  to  spend  the 
night.  But  for  his  desire  to  reach  this  place  be- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  126 

fore  darkness  should  wholly  shut  in,  he  would 
have  boarded  the  Whatnot  merely  to  gratify  the 
curiosity  excited  by  her  strange  appearance.  As 
it  was,  he  felt  that  he  had  no  time  to  spare,  and  so 
hastened  on. 

It  was  quite  dark  as  he  approached  the  lights 
marking  the  town  he  was  seeking;  but  as  he  drew 
near  he  discovered  what  appeared  like  a  part  of 
the  levee  slowly  moving  out  from  shore.  Above 
it  rose  dimly  a  white  object  that  he  had  taken 
for  a  house,  and  still  above  this  shown  a  lantern. 
In  a  moment  he  saw  that  it  was  a  raft  resuming  its 
voyage  down  the  river,  and  he  determined  to  make 
an  inquiry  from  its  crew  before  landing. 

Pulling  his  skiff  alongside,  the  young  man 
sprang  aboard.  As  he  did  so  he  noticed  that  the 
white  object  was  a  tent,  and  that  there  was  a  single 
"shanty"  amidship.  It  was  the  very  raft  that  had 
been  described  to  him  as  being  the  only  one  to 
pass  down  the  river  the  day  before.  These  details 
so  occupied  his  attention  that  he  did  not  notice  a 
skiff  made  fast  to  the  side  of  the  raft  just  forward 
of  where  he  tied  his  own.  Not  seeing  it,  he  did 
not,  of  course,  ask  any  questions  concerning  it. 
If  he  had,  he  might  have  learned  that  the  raftsmen 
had  just  picked  it  up,  floating,  empty  and  owner 
less,  down  the  river.  There  had  been  no  oars  in 
it,  but  they  had  rowed  it  to  the  raft  with  an  extra 


126  Raftmates: 

pair  from  their  own  skiff.  In  their  preparations 
for  departure  they  had  not  yet  found  time  to  ex 
amine  it,  and  knew  nothing  of  its  contents. 

As  Billy  Brackett  walked  towards  the  "  shanty," 
there  was  a  sudden  commotion  at  its  entrance.  A 
gruff  voice  exclaimed, 

"Get  out  of  here,  you  cur!" 

This  command  was  evidently  accompanied  by  a 
savage  kick,  which  was  immediately  followed  by 
a  yell  and  a  heavy  fall  as  Bim's  white  teeth  sank 
deep  in  the  calf  of  one  of  Mr.  Plater's  legs. 

The  dog,  tired  of  his  long  confinement  in  the 
skiff,  had  eagerly  leaped  aboard  the  raft,  and  with 
friendly  inquisitiveness  had  poked  his  nose  into 
the  open  doorway  of  the  "  shanty  "  just  as  Plater 
was  emerging  from  it. 

Bim's  master  realized  in  a  moment  what  had 
happened,  and  sprang  to  the  scene  just  as  two 
other  figures  came  running  in  the  same  direction 
from  the  forward  end  of  the  raft. 

Mr.  Plater,  though  on  his  back,  had  nearly  suc 
ceeded  in  drawing  a  pistol  from  his  hip  pocket. 
In  a  few  seconds  more  poor  Bim's  earthly  career 
would  have  been  ended,  but  his  owner's  move 
ments  were  quick  enough  to  save  him,  and  before 
the  pistol  could  be  drawn,  Billy  Brackett  had  seized 
the  dog's  collar. 

"  Let  go,  sir !"  he  ordered,  sternly,  and  Bim  in- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  JRwer. 

stantly  obeyed  the  command.  Then  realizing  that 
discretion  is  the  better  part  of  valor  when  the  odds 
are  three  to  one,  the  young  engineer,  with  the  dog 
in  his  arms,  ran  to  the  side  of  the  raft,  sprang  into 
the  skiff,  and  shoved  off.  He  was  followed  by  a 
storm  of  threats  and  angry  imprecations,  at  which 
he  only  smiled,  as  he  took  to  his  oars  and  pulled 
through  the  friendly  darkness  towards  the  landing 
from  which  the  raft  had  already  drifted  quite  a 
distance. 

Making  his  way  to  the  wharf-boat,  and  giving 
the  watchman  a  quarter  to  look  out  for  his  skiff 
until  morning,  Billy  Brackett,  weary  and  disheart 
ened,  sought  such  accommodation  as  the  only  hotel 
of  the  little  town  afforded.  All  night  he  tossed 
sleeplessly  on  his  uncomfortable  bed,  striving  in 
vain  to  unravel  the  mystery  in  which  the  fate  of 
his  nephew  and  of  Major  Caspar's  raft  had  be 
come  enshrouded. 

In  the  morning  he  strolled  undecidedly  down  to 
the  wharf -boat,  and,  missing  his  skiff,  asked  the 
watchman,  who  was  just  going  off  duty,  what  he 
had  done  with  it. 

"Why,  there  it  is,  sir,  just  where  you  left  it," 
answered  the  man,  in  a  surprised  tone,  pointing  to 
a  skiff  that  Billy  Brackett  was  certain  he  had  never 
seen  before. 

"  That  is  not  my  boat,"  he  said. 


128  Raftmates :  A  Story  of  tfie  Great  River. 

"  It  is  the  one  you  came  in  last  night,"  answered 
the  watchman.  "  And  here  is  the  coat  you  left  in 
it.  I  took  the  liberty  of  bringing  it  in  oat  of  the 
dew." 

The  young  engineer  looked  at  the  coat  the  man 
was  holding  towards  him,  and  shook  his  head. 

"  That  is  not  mine,  either,"  he  said. 

"  Whose  is  it,  then  ?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  You'd  better  look  in 
the  pockets.  They  may  contain  some  clew." 

Acting  upon  this  suggestion  the  watchman 
thrust  his  hand  into  a  breast-pocket  of  the  coat 
and  drew  forth  a  note-book.  He  opened  it. 

"Here's  something  writ  in  it,"  he  said;  "but 
as  I'm  not  quick  at  making  out  strange  writing, 
maybe  you'll  read  it,  sir." 

Taking  the  book  from  the  man's  hand,  and  glan 
cing  carelessly  at  its  title-page,  Billy  Brackett  ut 
tered  a  cry  of  amazement.  There,  written  in  a 
clear  boyish  hand,  was  the  inscription : 

"  Whin  Caspar.     His  Book." 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

THE  TRUTH,  BUT  NOT  THE  WHOLE  TRUTH. 

WINN  was  greatly  perturbed  by  hearing  from 
the  Whatnots  engine-room  the  inquiries  concern 
ing  Sheriff  Riley's  skiff,  and  Cap'n  Cod's  replies. 
He  had  not  meant  to  steal  the  boat,  of  course,  but 
it  now  seemed  that  he  was  regarded  as  having  done 
so,  and  was  being  hotly  pursued  by  some  one  in 
terested  in  its  recovery.  It  was  not  the  Sheriff 
himself,  for  the  voice  was  a  strange  one  ;  so  it  was 
probably  one  of  his  men,  who  undoubtedly  had  one 
or  more  companions.  Winn  was  too  ignorant  of 
the  world  to  know  whether  escaping  from  a  sheriff 
who  had  unjustly  arrested  him,  and  running  off 
with  his  boat,  would  be  considered  a  serious  of 
fence  or  not.  He  only  knew  that  while  perfectly 
conscious  of  his  own  innocence,  he  yet  felt  very 
much  as  though  he  were  fleeing  from  justice.  He 
had  not  even  known  until  that  minute  that  his  late 
captor  was  a  sheriff,  nor  could  he  imagine  why  he 
had  been  arrested.  What  he  did  know  was  that 
some  one  well  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  he  had 
taken  a  skiff  not  his  own  was  now  searching  for  it 


ISO  Raftmates : 

and  for  him.  This  was  sufficient  to  alarm  him 
and  fill  his  mind  with  visions  of  arrest,  imprison 
ment,  and  fines  which  his  father  would  be  com 
pelled  to  pay. 

Then,  too,  the  Captain  of  this  strange  craft  on 
which  he  had  just  found  an  asylum,  but  from 
which  he  would  already  be  glad  to  escape,  had  de 
clared  himself  to  be  a  friend  of  Sheriff  Riley,  and 
well  acquainted  with  his  boat.  Of  course,  then,  he 
would  gladly  aid  his  friend  in  recovering  his  prop 
erty,  and  would  not  hestitate  to  make  a  prisoner  of 
the  person  who  had  run  off  with  it.  In  that  case 
he  would  be  taken  back  to  Dubuque  in  disgrace, 
his  father  would  have  to  be  sent  for — and  who 
knew  where  he  might  be  by  this  time? — and  there 
would  be  a  long  delay  that  he  would  probably 
have  to  endure  in  prison.  In  the  mean  time  what 
would  become  of  the  raft  lost  through  his  careless 
ness  and  self-conceit  ? 

Decidedly  all  this  must  be  prevented  if  possible ; 
and  though  the  boy  would  have  scorned  to  tell  a 
lie  even  to  save  his  life,  he  determined  to  tell  as 
little  of  the  truth  as  would  be  necessary  to  answer 
the  questions  that  he  knew  would  shortly  be  put  to 
him. 

While  Winn  was  puzzling  over  this  situation, 
and  trying  to  frame  a  plausible  story  that  would 
account  for  his  presence  on  the  tow-head  without 


A  /Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  131 

overstepping  the  bounds  of  truth,  the  door  of  the 
engine-room  opened,  and  Cap'n  Cod  stumped  in. 
He  brought  an  armful  of  dry  clothing,  and  was 
beaming  with  the  satisfaction  that  he  always  felt 
when  engaged  in  helping  any  one  out  of  trouble. 

"  Well,  my  muddy  young  friend,"  he  exclaimed, 
good-naturedly,  "  how  are  you  getting  on  ?  Has 
Solon  taken  good  care  of  you  ?  Here  are  some 
clothes  that,  I  guess,  you  will  have  to  make  the 
best  of  until  your  own  can  be  dried.  They  prob 
ably  won't  come  within  a  mile  of  fitting,  but 
clothing  does  not  make  the  man,  you  know,  and  we 
are  not  very  critical  as  to  appearances  aboard  the 
Whatnot.  By-the-way,  my  name  is  Fifield — Aleck 
Fifield.  What  did  you  say  yours  was?" 

"  I  don't  think  I  said,"  answered  the  boy,  slip 
ping  into  a  woollen  shirt  many  sizes  too  large  for 
him  ;  "  but  it  is  Winn." 

"  Winn,  eh  ?  Good  name.  Belong  to  the 
Massachusetts  Winns  ?" 

"  My  parents  came  from  there,  but  I  was  born 
in  Wisconsin." 

"  Yes,  yes.  Just  so.  But,  there !  I  musn't 
hinder  you.  Supper  is  ready,  and  if  you  haven't 
any  better  place  to  go  to,  we  should  be  most  happy 
to  have  you  join  us." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Winn.  "  I  shall  be 
only  too  glad  to  do  so,  for  I  haven't  had  any 


1S2  Raft/mates : 

supper,  and  the  raft  to  which  I  belong  has  prob 
ably  gone  off  down  the  river  without  me." 

"  So  you  belong  to  a  raft,  eh  ?  And  what  hap 
pened  ?  Did  you  tumble  overboard  from  it  ?" 

"  No,  sir.  I  came  to  this  island  in  the  skiff,  and 
was  trying  to  make  a  line  fast,  when  the  skiff  got 
away  from  me." 

"  And  they  didn't  notice  it  through  the  gloom 
until  it  was  too  late  to  do  anything,  and  so  you  got 
left !  Yes,  yes.  I  see  just  how  it  all  happened  ! 
Such  accidents  are  of  common  occurrence  on  the 
river,  and  you  were  very  fortunate  to  find  us  here. 
I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  yon  for  a  guest  to 
night,  and  in  the  morning  your  friends  will  un 
doubtedly  return  to  look  for  you." 

As  he  thus  rattled  on  in  cheery  fashion,  Cap'n 
Cod  gathered  up  W inn's  wet  clothing,  prepara 
tory  to  taking  them  to  the  galley  to  be  dried. 
Not  finding  either  coat  or  shoes  in  the  water- 
soaked  pile,  he  inquired  if  the  boy  had  left  the 
raft  without  them. 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Winn ;  "  but  I  took  them  off, 
and  left  them  in  the  skiff." 

"  You  did  !  That's  bad ;  for  when  your  friends 
find  the  skiff  with  your  clothes  in  it,  they  will  be 
apt  to  imagine  you  are  drowned.  Then  they'll 
search  the  river  below  here  for  your  body,  instead 
of  coming  back  to  look  for  you.  Never  mind, 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  133 

though,"  he  added  quickly,  mistaking  the  expres 
sion  of  relief  which  this  suggestion  brought  to 
W  inn's  face  for  one  of  dismay,  "  we'll  soon  re 
lieve  their  anxiety.  We'll  get  a  mule,  and  put 
him  in  here  as  quick  as  our  show  earns  his  price. 
Then  we'll  go  humming  down  the  river  faster 
than  any  raft  that  ever  drifted.  We  may  be 
several  days  in  overtaking  them,  but  I  shall  be 
only  too  happy  to  have  you  remain  with  us  for 
that  length  of  time,  and  longer,  too,  if  you  will. 
I  am  greatly  in  need  of  an  assistant  to  help  me 
run  the  show.  So  if  you  are  willing  to  take  hold 
and  work  with  us,  the  obligation  will  be  wholly  on 
my  side." 

"  Of  course  I  will,  sir !"  exclaimed  Winn,  whose 
spirits  were  rising  as  the  difficulties  of  his  situation 
began  to  disappear.  "  I  will  do  anything  I  can, 
only  I  didn't  know  this  was  a  show-boat,  and  I'm 
afraid  I  am  pretty  ignorant  about  shows  any 
way." 

"  That  will  be  all  right,"  replied  the  Captain. 
u  My  own  experience  in  the  dramatic  line  has  been 
so  extensive  that  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  post 
ing  you.  I  am  surprised,  though,  that  you  did  not 
recognize  this  boat  as  having  been  built  by  one  of 
the  profession,  and  especially  adapted  to  its  re 
quirements.  There  are  certain  features  about  the 
Whatnot — which,  by  the  way,  I  consider  a  most 


IS '4  Raft/mates : 

original  and  attractive  name — that  are  intended  to 
indicate — " 

"  Suppah,  sail !  An'  Missy  Sabel  awaitin',"  in 
terrupted  Solon,  thrusting  his  woolly  head  into 
the  doorway  at  that  moment. 

Glad  as  Winn  was  of  this  diversion,  and  though 
he  was  as  thankful  as  only  a  famished  boy  can  be 
that  a  bountiful  meal  awaited  him,  he  would  will 
ingly  have  gone  hungry  a  little  longer  rather  than 
enter  that  dining-room  just  then.  Although  the 
engine-room  did  not  afford  a  mirror,  he  was  con 
scious  that  he  must  present  about  as  absurd  a 
figure  as  can  well  be  conceived.  He  was  bare 
footed,  and  the  left  leg  of  his  trousers  was  turned 
up  to  keep  it  from  the  floor,  while  the  right,  ow 
ing  to  the  Captain's  misfortune,  barely  reached  his 
ankle.  A  checkered  woolen  shirt  hung  about  him 
in  folds,  and  over  it  he  wore  a  garment  that  Cap'n 
Cod  was  pleased  to  style  his  "professional  coat." 
It  was  a  blue  swallow-tail,  with  bright  brass  but 
tons.  As  worn  by  Winn  the  tails  hung  nearly  to 
the  floor,  the  cuffs  were  turned  back  over  hig 
wrists,  and  the  collar  rubbed  against  his  ears. 

"  A  pretty  costume  in  which  to  appear  before  a 
strange  girl,"  thought  poor  Winn,  who  was  noted 
at  home  for  being  fastidious  concerning  his  dress 
and  personal  appearance.  "  I  know  I  must  look 
like  a  guy,  and  she  can't  help  laughing,  of  course ; 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  135 

but  if  she  does,  I'll  never  speak  to  her  as  long  as  I 
live,  and  I'll  leave  this  craft  the  very  first  chance 
I  get." 

While  these  thoughts  were  crowding  fast  upon 
one  another,  the  boj  was  being  dragged  into  the 
dining-room  by  Cap'n  Cod,  and  formally  presented 
as  "  Mr.  Winn,  of  Massachusetts,"  to  "  my  grand- 
niece  Sabella,  sir." 

Winn  will  never  know  whether  the  girl  laughed 
or  not,  for  at  that  moment  Don  Blossom,  who  had 
been  seated  on  the  floor  daintily  nibbling  a  sweet 
biscuit,  sprang  chattering  to  her  shoulder  and 
buried  his  face  in  her  hair,  as  he  had  done  upon 
the  boy's  first  appearance.  This  episode  formed 
such  a  seasonable  diversion  that  by  the  time  the 
girl  succeeded  in  freeing  herself  from  the  clutches 
of  her  pet,  Winn  was  seated  at  the  table  with  the 
most  conspicuous  portion  of  his  absurd  costume 
concealed  beneath  its  friendly  shelter. 

During  the  meal  Winn  and  Sabella  exchanged 
furtive  glances,  which  each  hoped  the  other  would 
not  notice,  and  the  boy,  at  least,  blushed  furiously 
whenever  one  of  his  was  detected.  Although 
neither  of  them  said  much,  the  meal  was  by  no 
means  a  silent  one;  for  the  Captain  maintained  a 
steady  and  cheerful  flow  of  conversation  from  its 
beginning  to  its  end.  He  told  Sabella  a  thrilling 
tale  of  Winn's  narrow  escape  from  drowning,  and 


136   Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Riner. 

how  his  friends  were  at  that  moment  drifting  far 
away  down  the  river,  anxiously  speculating  as  to 
his  fate.  Then  he  told  Winn  of  the  painting  of 
the  panorama,  the  building  of  the  Whatnot,  and 
of  his  plans  for  the  future. 

When  the  meal  finally  came  to  an  end,  on  ac 
count  of  Winn's  inability  to  eat  any  more,  the  boy 
was  surprised  to  find  how  much  at  home  he  had 
been  made  to  feel  by  the  unaffected  simplicity  and 
unobtrusive  kindness  of  these  strangers. 

While  Sabella  and  Solon  cleared  the  table,  the 
Captain  lighted  a  lantern  and  showed  him  over 
the  boat.  Thus  the  boy  discovered  that  while  its 
after -part  was  devoted  to  the  engine-room  and 
quarters  for  an  animated,  one-mule-power  engine,  a 
galley,  and  the  general  living-room,  the  remainder 
of  the  house  was  arranged  as  an  entertainment 
hall,  with  a  small  curtained  stage  at  one  end,  and 
seats  for  one  hundred  spectators.  Cap'n  Cod  in 
formed  him  that  this  was  to  be  his  sleeping  apart 
ment  so  long  as  he  remained  with  them.  The 
Captain  slept  in  the  pilot-house,  while  Sabella's 
dainty  little  room  was  in  the  after-house  on  the 
upper  deck,  and  was  connected  with  the  living- 
room  by  a  flight  of  inside  stairs. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FOLLOWING    THE    TRAIL. 

THE  next  morning,  when  Winn  opened  his  eyes 
after  the  first  night  of  undisturbed  sleep  he  had 
enjoyed  since  leaving  home,  he  was  for  a  moment 
greatly  puzzled  to  account  for  his  surroundings. 
His  bed  had  been  made  down  in  the  exhibition 
hall  on  two  benches  drawn  close  together,  and  as 
he  awoke,  he  found  himself  staring  at  a  most  mar 
vellous  painting  that  occupied  the  full  height  and 
nearly  the  entire  width  of  the  stage  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  hall.  It  was  a  lurid  scene,  but  so  filled 
with  black  shadows  that  to  a  vivid  imagination  it 
might  represent  any  one  of  many  things.  While 
the  boy  was  wondering  if  the  young  woman  in 
yellow  who  appeared  in  the  upper  corner  of  the 
picture,  with  outstretched  arms  and  dishevelled 
hair,  was  about  to  commit  suicide  by  flinging  her 
self  from  the  second  story  of  the  factory,  and  only 
hesitated  for  fear  of  crushing  the  badly  frightened 
young  man  in  red  who  from  the  street  below 
had  evidently  just  discovered  his  peril,  a  door 
opened,  and  his  host  of  the  evening  before  tiptoed 
into  the  room. 


138  Raftmates  : 

The  expression  "  tiptoed  "  is  here  used  to  indi 
cate  the  extreme  caution  of  Cap'n  Cod's  entrance, 
and  his  evident  desire  to  effect  it  as  noiselessly  aa 
possible.  As  he  could  only  tiptoe  on  one  foot, 
however,  and  had  neglected  to  muffle  the  iron- 
shod  peg  that  served  him  in  place  of  the  other, 
his  progress  was  attended  with  more  than  its  usual 
amount  of  noise.  He  appeared  relieved  to  find 
Winn  awake,  and  advancing  with  a  cordial  greet 
ing,  he  laid  the  boy's  own  clothing,  now  cleaned 
and  dried,  within  his  reach.  "  I  should  have  sent 
Solon  in  with  these,"  he  explained,  "  but  for  fear 
he  might  make  a  noise  that  would  rouse  you,  and 
I  noticed  last  evening  that  you  were  sadly  in  need 
of  sleep.  So,  if  you  had  not  been  awake,  I  should 
have  stolen  away  as  noiselessly  as  I  entered,  and 
left  you  to  have  your  nap  out.  Now,  however,  I 
think  you  had  better  come  to  breakfast,  for  Sa- 
bella  and  I  finished  ours  some  time  ago." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Winn.  "  I  will  be  out  in 
half  a  minute  ;  but  will  you  please  explain  that 
painting?  I  have  been  studying  it  ever  since  I 
woke." 

"  That,"  replied  the  Captain,  with  an  accent  of 
honest  pride,  "  is  what  I  consider  one  of  my  chef- 
dovers.  I  term  it  a  '  Shakespearian  composite.' 
In  order  to  please  the  tastes  of  certain  audiences,  I 
shall  describe  it  as  the  balcony  scene  between 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  1S9 

Romeo  and  Juliet.  You  may  note  Romeo's  man 
dolin  lying  at  his  feet,  while  over  the  whole  falls 
the  melancholy  light  of  a  full  moon  rising  behind 
the  palace.  To  suit  a  less -intelligent  class,  it 
would  perhaps  be  described  as  the  escape  of  a 
Turkish  captive  by  leaping  from  the  upper  floor 
of  the  Sultan's  seraglio  into  the  arms  of  her 
gallant  rescuer,  who  would  be  American,  British, 
French,  German,  or  Spanish,  according  to  the  pre 
dominating  nationality  of  my  audience.  Or  it 
might  be  called  'A  Thrilling  Incident  of  the  Great 
New  York  Fire,'  in  which  case  Juliet's  moonlight 
would  be  spoken  of  as  i  devastating  flames,'  and 
Romeo's  mandolin  would  figure  as  a  fireman's 
helmet.  It  is  a  painting  of  infinite  possibilities, 
any  one  of  which  may  be  impressed  upon  an 
audience  by  a  judiciously  selected  title  and  the 
skilful  directing  of  their  imagination.  Although 
I  am  proud  of  this  picture,  I  have  a  number 
of  other  ' composites'  that  are  even  more  star 
tling  than  this  in  the  variety  of  scenes  that  they 
can  be  made  to  illustrate.  By  studying  them  you 
will  learn  that  the  whole  secret  of  artistic  success 
lies  in  the  selection  of  titles  that  appeal  to  and 
direct  the  imagination  of  the  critic,  the  spectator, 
or  the  would-be  purchaser.  I  would  gladly  exhibit 
and  explain  them  to  you  now,  but  business  before 
pleasure ;  so,  if  you  are  dressed,  let  us  to  breakfast." 


140  Raftmates : 

While  Winn  was  eating  his  late  breakfast,  Billy 
Brackett,  only  a  couple  of  miles  away,  was  gazing 
with  an  expression  of  the  blankest  amazement  at 
his  nephew's  note-book.  "  How  in  the  name  of 
all  that  is  mysterious  and  improbable  did  this 
book  happen  to  be  in  that  coat,  that  coat  in  that 
skiff,  that  skiff  on  that  raft,  and  that  raft  here? 
It  certainly  seems  as  though  I  had  brought  the 
skiff  from  the  raft — at  least  this  man  says  I  did. 
You  are  certain  that  I  came  in  that  identical  boat, 
are  you  ?" 

"  Certain,  sir,"  replied  the  watchman  to  whom 
this  question  was  addressed. 

"  No  one  else  could  have  come  in  this  skiff,  and 
then  gone  off  in  mine  by  mistake  '?" 

"  Impossible,  sir.  I  have  been  wide-awake  all 
night,  and  there  has  not  been  another  soul  aboard 
this  wharf -boat  until  just  now.  Besides,  I  took 
that  coat  from  the  skiff  just  after  you  left  it  last 
evening." 

"Then,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  "the  chain  of  evi 
dence  seems  to  be  unbroken,  incredible  as  it  may 
appear,  and  it  stretches  from  here  straight  away 
down  the  river — book  coat,  coat  skiff,  skiff  raft, 
raft  Winn.  Now,  in  order  to  bring  its  ends  to 
gether,  and  recover  my  long-lost  nephew,  I  must 
again  overtake  that  raft.  I  must  start  as  soon  as 
possible  after  breakfast,  too.  I  don't  know  wheth- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Itiver.  141 

er  the  game  Winn  and  I  are  playing  is  blind-man's- 
buff  or  hide-and-seek,  but  it  certainly  resembles 
both." 

Musing  over  this  new  aspect  of  the  situation,  the 
young  engineer  hastened  back  to  his  hotel  and 
breakfast.  In  the  dining-room,  a  few  minutes 
later,  a  waiter  was  leaning  over  him,  and  asking, 
for  the  third  time,  "  Tea  or  coffee,  sir,  an'  how'll 
you  have  your  eggs  ?"  when  the  inattentive  guest 
suddenly  caused  him  to  jump  as  though  galvan 
ized,  by  bringing  his  fist  down  on  the  table  with  a 
crash,  and  exclaiming,  "  No,  by  the  great  horn- 
spoon,  it  can't  be  that  way  either!  "What's  that 
you  say?  Oh  yes,  of  course.  Coffee,  soft-boiled, 
and  as  quick  as  you  can."  Having  delivered  this 
order,  the  young  man  fixed  his  intent  gaze  on  a 
brown  spot  ornamenting  the  table-cloth,  and  re 
sumed  his  thinking. 

It  had  just  occurred  to  him  that,  according  to 
all  accounts,  the  raft  from  which  he  had  taken 
that  skiff  had  come  down  the  river  to  this  point 
two  days  before.  So  how  could  Winn  Caspar, 
who  had  only  escaped  from  the  island  a  few 
minutes  before  he  and  Bim  made  good  their 
own  retreat,  have  reached  the  same  place  and 
joined  that  raft  without  attracting  attention? 
Both  the  day  and  night  watchmen  at  the  wharf- 
boat  had  assured  him  that  no  such  boy  as  he 


142  Raftmates: 

described  had  been  seen  on  the  water-front.  They 
also  said  that  the  raft  had  been  there  all  the  day  be 
fore,  and  that  when  it  left  it  held  only  the  three 
men  who  came  with  it.  "  Of  course  he  might  have 
been  inside  the  i  shanty '  when  I  was  aboard,  though 
I  can't  see  how  he  got  there,  nor  why  he  should 
join  a  strange  raft  anyway,"  argued  the  young 
man.  "At  any  rate,  it's  my  business  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  he  is  aboard  it  now.  How  about 
using  the  skiff,  though  ?  If  it  is  the  one  Winn  ran 
off  with,  it  belongs  to  that  Sheriff  fellow.  Like 
as  not,  he  has  already  sent  word  down  the  river  to 
have  it  picked  up.  In  that  case,  if  I  was  picked 
np  in  it,  I  might  be  accused  of  stealing  it,  which 
would  never  do  in  the  world.  ISTo ;  to  be  on  the 
safe  side  I  must  leave  the  skiff  here,  and  take  the 
first  down-river  steamboat  that  stops  at  this  land 
ing.  First,  though,  I'll  advertise  for  Winn  in  this 
town,  and  if  I  don't  find  him  on  the  raft,  there 
may  be  news  waiting  for  me  here  when  I  come 
back." 

This  was  the  plan  upon  which  the  young  engi 
neer  decided  to"  act,  and  immediately  after  break 
fast  he  proceeded  to  put  it  into  execution. 

There  was  no  paper  published  in  the  place,  but 
it  did  contain  a  makeshift  sort  of  a  printing- 
office,  and  towards  this  Billy  Brackett  directed  his 
steps,  after  learning  at  what  hour  the  next  down- 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  143 

river  boat  was  expected.  Here  he  spent  some  time 
in  composing  a  small  circular,  of  which  he  ordered 
five  hundred  copies  to  be  struck  off,  and  distrib 
uted  broadcast.  His  boat  came  along  and  he  had 
to  leave  before  this  was  ready  for  press ;  but  he 
had  engaged  the  services  of  his  new  acquaintance 
the  night-watchman,  who  promised  to  place  the 
bills  wherever  they  would  do  good. 

Poor  Bim,  tied  up  on  the  wharf-boat,  and  nearly 
heart-broken  at  his  master's  desertion,  was  also  left 
in  charge  of  this  man.  Billy  Brackett  was  de 
sirous  of  establishing  friendly  relations  with  the 
raftsmen  when  he  should  overtake  them,  and 
feared  that  would  be  impossible  in  case  they  should 
recognize  him.  This  they  would  certainly  do  if 
he  were  accompanied  by  the  bull-dog,  whom  one 
of  them  at  least  had  reason  to  remember  so 
well. 

At  another  small  landing,  nearly  a  hundred 
miles  farther  down  the  river,  Messrs.  Gilder, 
Grirnshaw,  and  Plater  were  rendered  somewhat 
uneasy,  late  on  the  following  day,  by  the  ap 
pearance  on  board  their  raft  of  a  young  man  who 
asked  questions.  Billy  Brackett  had  experienced 
considerable  difficulty  in  finding  this  raft,  and  was 
greatly  disappointed  that  his  search  in  this  direc 
tion  should  prove  fruitless.  The  raftsmen  had 
never  heard  of  Major  Caspar,  nor  of  Wiim  Caspar, 


144  Baftmates: 

his  son.  They  were  lumbermen  from  far  up  on 
the  Wisconsin  River,  and  were  taking  this  raft  to 
New  Orleans  as  a  speculation.  They  knew  noth 
ing  of  Sheriff  Riley  or  his  skiff.  Yes,  they  had 
picked  up  an  empty  skiff  two  days  before,  but  it 
had  been  taken  away  and  another  left  in  its  place 
by  a  young  fellow  with  a  dog,  who  had  boarded 
their  raft  without  invitation,  set  his  dog  on  one  of 
them,  and  then  skipped.  They  would  like  to  meet 
that  party  again — yes,  they  would — and  they'd 
make  things  pretty  lively  for  him. 

Then  they  began  asking  questions  in  turn,  and 
assuming  such  a  hostile  tone  that  Billy  Brackett 
concluded  he  might  as  well  leave  then  as  later.  So, 
after  asking  them  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  a 
raft  with  three  "  shanties,''  two  of  which  were 
filled  with  wheat,  he  bade  them  good-evening,  and 
started  back  up  the  river  by  rail. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Whatnot  had  reached  the 
town  to  which  he  was  returning,  and  was  now  tied 
up  just  below  the  wharf-boat.  It  had  been  de 
cided  that  the  first  exhibition  of  the  "  Floating 
Panoramic  Show "  should  be  given  here,  and 
Cap'n  Cod  went  up  into  the  town  as  soon  as  they 
arrived  to  have  some  bills  printed.  Winn,  at  the 
same  time,  started  along  the  water-front  to  search 
for  traces  of  his  lost  raft;  and  Sabella,  who  was 
very  fond  of  dogs,  went  aboard  the  wharf-boat  to 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  IJfi 

make  the  acquaintance  of  a  fine  bull-dog  she  had 
noticed  there  as  they  passed. 

At  supper-time  they  all  gathered  again  in  the 
living-room  of  the  Whatnot,  where  Sabella  re 
ported  her  new  friend  to  be  the  most  splendid 
bull-dog  she  had  ever  seen,  and  that  his  name 
was  Bim. 

This  name  at  once  attracted  W inn's  attention, 
and  he  said  he  had  an  uncle  somewhere  out  in 
California  who  owned  a  dog  named  Bim.  Then 
the  boy  reported  that  nothing  had  been  seen  or 
heard  of  his  raft,  though  he  did  not  tell  them  he 
had  discovered  Sheriff  Riley's  skiff. 

Cap'n  Cod  remarked  that  if  he  could  only  claim 
all  the  rewards  he  had  just  seen  offered,  he  could 
afford  to  run  the  Whatnot  by  steam.  "  There  is 
one  of  a  thousand  dollars,"  he  said,  "for  any  in 
formation  that  will  lead  to  the  capture  of  a  gang 
of  counterfeiters,  supposed  to  be  operating  in  this 
vicinity.  Then  there  is  one  of  a  hundred  dollars 
for  the  arrest  of  the  fellow  who  ran  off  with  Sheriff 
Riley's  skiff,  and  who  is  supposed  to  be  a  member 
of  the  same  gang.  There  is  still  another,  of  an 
equal  amount,  for  any  information  as  to  the  where 
abouts,  if  he  is  still  living,  or  for  the  recovery  of 
the  body  of  a  boy  named  Caspar,  the  only  son  of 
my  old  friend,  Major  John  Caspar,  of  Caspar's  Mill, 
in  Wisconsin.  He  has  disappeared  most  unac- 


146  Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

countably,  together  with  a  raft  owned  by  his 
father.  By-the-way,  his  first  name  is  the  same  as 
your  last  one,  which  is  a  little  odd,  for  Winn  is 
not  a  common  name.  That's  what  it  is,  though, 
'Winn  Caspar.'" 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  CURIOUS   COMPLICATION. 

"So  that  is  what  I  was  arrested  for,  is  it!" 
thought  Winn.  "  I  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  a 
gang  of  counterfeiters,  and  a  pretty  desperate  sort 
of  a  character.  That  will  be  a  pretty  good  joke 
to  tell  father.  But  I  wonder  who  is  offering  a 
reward  for  me  as  plain  every-day  Winn  Caspar, 
besides  the  one  that  would  be  paid  for  the  young 
counterfeiter  who  ran  off  with  the  Sheriff's  boat  ?" 

This  is  what  Winn  thought.  What  he  said  was, 
"  My !  but  that  is  a  lot  of  money !  Wouldn't  it 
be  fine  if  we  could  earn  those  twelve  hundred 
dollars?" 

"Indeed  it  would,"  answered  the  old  man. 
"  Even  one  of  the  smaller  rewards  would  buy  us  a 
mule." 

"  Who  is  offering  them  ?"  asked  Winn. 

"  The  Government  offers  the  first,  Sheriff  Ri- 
ley  the  second,  and  the  third  is  offered  by  some 
one  named  Brickell.  '  W.  Brickell,'  the  bills  are 
signed.  I  saw  them  up  at  the  printing-office,  bu* 
they  are  being  distributed  all  over  the  place." 


Maftmate* : 

Sure  enough,  in  that  wretched  little  printing- 
office  the  compositor  had  made  "  Brickell "  out  of 
Bracket  t,  and  as  he  was  his  own  proof-reader,  the 
mistake  was  not  discovered. 

u  Brickell,"  repeated  Winn,  slowly.  "  That  is  a 
queer  name,  and  one  that  I  never  heard  before." 

"  Yes,  it  is  one  that  has  puzzled  me  a  good  deal," 
said  Cap'n  Cod.  "  I'm  sure  I  never  heard  Major 
Caspar  mention  any  such  person." 

"  You  know  this  Major  Caspar,  then  ?" 

"  Know  him  !  Well,  I  should  say  I  did.  We 
were  in  the  same  regiment  all  through  the  war, 
and  a  better  officer  never  commanded  men.  Know 
him !  I  know  him  to  the  extent  of  a  leg,  lost 
when  I  was  standing  so  close  beside  him  that  if 
I  hadn't  been  there  the  ball  would  have  taken  his 
instead  of  mine.  Know  him !  Didn't  I  know 
him  for  three  months  in  the  hospital,  where  he 
came  to  see  me  every  day  ?  Indeed  I  do  know 
Major  Caspar,  and  I  should  be  mighty  glad  to 
know  of  any  way  in  which  I  could  help  him  out 
of  his  present  trouble." 

"It  is  strange  that  I  never  heard  father  speak 
of  any  Aleck  Fifield,"  thought  Winn.  He  was 
about  to  ask  some  more  questions,  but  was  re 
strained  by  the  remembrance  of  his  present  pe 
culiar  position.  The  same  thought  checked  his 
inclination  to  say,  "I  am  Winn  Caspar,  sir,  the 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Rimer.  149 

eon  of  your  friend  Major  Caspar,  of  Caspar's  Mill." 
Instead  of  that  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  will  wait 
until  we  get  away  from  this  place ;  or,  at  any  rate, 
until  I  can  receive  a  letter  from  home  that  will 
prove  who  I  am.  Otherwise  he  might  find  out 
about  the  Sheriff's  skiff,  and  think  I  had  made  up 
the  story  to  escape  arrest  as  a  thief." 

So  Winn  held  his  peace,  and  only  asked  his 
host  if  he  would  furnish  him  the  materials  for 
writing  a  letter  home.  Provided  with  these,  he 
wrote  to  his  mother  as  follows : 

"MANDRAKE,  IOWA. 

"My  OWN  DEAR  MOTHER, — I  write  to  you  in 
stead  of  to  father,  as  I  suppose  he  must  be  some 
where  on  the  river  hunting  for  me  by  this  time, 
though  I  have  not  seen  him  yet. 

"  I  am  all  right,  and  having  a  fine  time,  but  have 
lost  the  raft.  I  am  on  board  a  boat  called  the 
Whatnot,  with  some  very  kind  people — a  gentle 
man  named  Fifield,  a  girl  named  Sabella,  a  funny 
old  darky  named  Solon,  and  a  monkey  named  Don 
Blossom.  I  am  bound  to  find  the  raft  again  if  it 
is  still  afloat,  and  am  going  to  keep  on  down  the 
river  in  this  boat  until  we  catch  up  with  it. 

"  I  shall  be  here  long  enough  for  you  to  answer 
this  letter ;  and  send  me  some  money,  please,  and 
tell  me  all  about  everybody.  Give  my  dear  love 


150  Raftmates : 

to  Elta,  and  tell  her  I  wish  she  knew  Sabella  and 
Don  Blossom.  She  is  just  the  kind  of  a  girl,  and 
he  is  just  the  kind  of  a  monkey,  a  fellow  likes  to 
know. 

"  Now  it  is  late,  and  I  must  turn  in,  for  I  am 
working  my  passage  on  this  boat,  and  Solon  and  I 
must  take  the  place  of  a  mule  to-morrow,  and  till 
we  can  earn  money  enough  to  buy  one.  So  good 
bye,  from  your  affectionate  son,  WINN." 

While  the  boy  was  writing,  Cap'n  Cod  went 
ashore,  and  when  the  former  took  his  letter  to  the 
post-office,  he  met  his  host  there  with  two  letters 
in  his  hand.  They  followed  Winn's  into  the  box, 
but  he  did  not  see  the  address  on  either  of  them. 
If  he  had,  he  would  have  been  more  troubled  than 
ever,  for  one  was  addressed  to  the  Sheriff  of  Du- 
buque  County,  and  the  other  to  his  own  father. 

The  old  man  had  seen  and  recognized  the  skiff 
that  he  had  built  for  Sheriff  Kiley  as  it  lay  tied  to 
the  wharf-boat,  but  had  thought  it  best  to  keep 
this  discovery  to  himself  until  he  could  communi 
cate  with  its  owner.  By  cautious  inquiries  he 
learned  that  the  skiff  had  been  left  there  by  a 
young  man  calling  himself  Brackett,  who  had  gone 
on  down  the  river,  but  was  expected  back  in  a  day 
or  two.  Cap'n  Cod  would  have  telegraphed  to 
Sheriff  Kiley  but  for  the  fact  that  the  wires  had 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  161 

not  yet  been  extended  to  Mandrake.  So  he  wrote 
and  begged  the  Sheriff  to  hasten  down  the  river 
by  first  boat. 

He  also  wrote  to  Major  Caspar,  expressing  his 
sympathy,  telling  him  that  he  was  now  travelling 
down  the  Mississippi  in  his  own  boat,  the  Whatnot, 
asking  for  full  particulars  concerning  the  lost  boy, 
and  offering  to  make  every  effort  to  discover  his 
whereabouts. 

On  the  morning  of  that  very  day,  just  before 
his  departure  from  Mandrake,  Billy  Brackett  had 
also  written  and  mailed  a  letter  that  read  as 
follows : 

"  MY  DEAR  SISTER, — I  am  up  a  stump  just  at 
present,  but  hope  to  climb  down  very  soon.  In 
other  words,  your  boy  is  smarter  than  I  took  him 
to  be.  He  has  not  only  managed  to  hide  the  raft, 
but  himself  as  well,  and  both  so  completely  that 
thus  far  I  have  had  but  little  success  in  tracing 
them.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  and  I 
spent  some  time  very  close  to  each  other  on  an 
island  the  night  I  left  you,  but  before  daylight 
he  had  again  disappeared,  leaving  no  trace.  After 
that  I  learned  nothing  concerning  him  until  reach 
ing  this  place,  when  I  again  struck  the  trail.  I  am 
now  following  a  warm  scent,  and  expect  to  run 
the  young  fox  to  earth  within  a  few  hours. 


152  Itaftmates  : 

u  So  much  for  the  boy.  As  for  the  raft,  its  disap 
pearance  is  even  more  complete  and  unaccountable 
than  his.  There  is  absolutely  nothing  to  report 
concerning  it.  I  have  boarded  several  rafts,  but 
none  of  them  bears  the  slightest  resemblance  to 
the  Venture,  which  I  am  certain  I  should  recognize 
at  a  glance.  However,  when  I  find  Winn  he  will 
of  course  be  able  to  put  me  on  the  right  track,  and 
the  subsequent  recovery  of  the  raft  will  prove  an 
easy  rmtter. 

"  If  yon  have  any  news,  send  it  to  me  at  this 
place,  where  I  shall  remain  until  I  hear  from  you. 

"  Love  to  Elta.  Tell  her  that  last  evening  I  ran 
across  the  queerest  craft  I  ever  saw,  with  the  queer 
est  name  I  ever  heard  of.  It  is  called  the  Whatnot. 
Of  course  its  Captain  knew  nothing  of  Winn, 
and  I  did  not  expect  he  would ;  but  I  make  it  my 
business  to  inquire  of  every  one  I  meet  or  pass. 

"  Hoping  to  be  able  to  send  you  better  news 
within  a  day  or  two,  I  am  your  loving  brother, 

"  WILLIAM." 

As  this  letter  reached  Caspar's  Mill  in  the  same 
mail  with  those  from  Winn  and  the  owner  of  the 
Whatnot,  who,  in  writing  to  the  Major,  had  used 
his  old  army  name,  and  signed  himself  "  Respect 
fully  yours,  Cap'n  Cod,"  it  may  easily  be  imag 
ined  that  Billy  Brackett's  perplexity  was  as  noth- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  163 

ing  compared  to  that  of  his  sister.  What  could  it 
all  mean?  Winn  was  alive  and  well;  his  letter 
brought  that  comfort.  But  what  did  he  mean  by 
stating  that  he  was  on  board  that  boat  with  the 
absurd  name,  when  both  William  and  Captain  Cod 
stated  that  he  was  not  there.  Then,  too,  how  could 
it  be  possible  for  those  three  persons,  each  of  whom 
was  anxious  to  find  one  of  the  others,  to  be  in  a 
small  place,  such  as  this  Mandrake  must  be,  for  sev 
eral  days  without  running  across  each  other?  Such 
stupidity  was  incredible,  and  could  only  be  ac 
counted  for  by  the  fact  that  all  three  were  of  the 
masculine  sex.  Well,  she  would  soon  set  things  to 
rights,  and  the  fond  mother  smiled  to  herself  to 
think  that  it  was  left  for  her,  who  had  remained  qui 
etly  at  home,  to  discover  the  missing  boy  after  all. 
She  had  but  a  few  minutes  in  which  to  catch 
the  return  mail ;  but  when  it  left,  it  bore  three 
notes  in  her  handwriting.  The  one  directed  to  Mr. 
Winn  Caspar,  Mandrake,  Iowa,  read  as  follows : 

"  Mr  DAKLINQ  BOY, — How  could  you  leave  us  as 
you  did  ?  And  why  don't  you  come  home  ?  Don't 
lose  a  minute  in  hunting  up  your  Uncle  Billy,  who 
is  now  in  Mandrake.  He  will  supply  you  with 
money,  and  tell  you  what  to  do. 

"  Ever  lovingly,  but  in  great  haste, 

"  YOUR  OWN  MOTHER." 


154  Raftmates : 

To  the  Captain  of  the  Whatnot  Mrs.  Caspar 
wrote : 

"Bra, — In  the  absence  of  my  husband,  I  took 
the  liberty  of  opening  your  note  to  him  of  the  1st 
inst.  In  it  you  write  that  you  are  anxious  to  dis 
cover  our  boy's  whereabouts,  when,  by  the  same 
mail,  I  am  advised  by  him  that  he  is  on  board  the 
very  boat  of  which  you  claim  to  be  Captain  and 
owner.  I  of  course  take  my  boy's  word  in  prefer 
ence  to  that  of  any  stranger.  Having  thus  detected 
the  hollowness  of  your  sympathy,  and  the  falseness 
of  your  pretended  friendship  for  my  husband,  I 
must  request  you  to  refrain  from  further  meddling 
in  this  matter.  Yours  etc.,  ELLEN  CASPAR." 

Fortunately,  as  this  letter  was  addressed  to  Cap 
tain  Cod,  Esq.,  instead  of  to  Mr.  Aleck  Fifield, 
the  old  man  never  received  it,  and  in  due  time  it 
was  returned  to  the  writer  from  the  Dead -letter 
Office. 

To  Billy  Brackett  Mrs.  Caspar  wrote : 

"MY   DEAR   GOOSE   OF  A  BROTHER, 1    have   JUSt 

received  a  letter  from  Winn  written  at  Mandrake. 
He  is  on  the  Mantel-piece,  and  out  of  money. 
Please  supply  him  with  whatever  he  needs,  and 
bring  him  home  to  me  as  quickly  as  possible.  As 


A  Story  of  the  Great  J^iver.  156 

for  the  raft,  I  am  sorry,  of  conrse,  that  you  cannot 
find  it ;  but  so  long  as  Winn  is  safe,  nothing  else 
seems  to  matter. 

"  John  writes  full  of  enthusiasm  concerning  the 
contract,  and  I  shall  tell  him  nothing  of  your  ab 
surd  doings  until  you  and  Winn  are  safely  back 
here.  Ever  lovingly  your  sister,  ELLEN." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BIM  GROWLS. 

DURING  the  following  day,  while  these  letters 
were  on  their  way  to  the  little  Iowa  town  in 
which  the  principal  actors  in  this  story  were  play 
ing  at  such  cross -purposes,  active  preparations 
were  being  made  on  board  the  Whatnot  for  the 
first  exhibition  of  its  panorama.  In  those  days 
the  panorama  filled  the  place  now  taken  by  the 
stereopticon  ;  and  though  its  crude  pictures  lacked 
the  photographic  truth  of  lantern  slides,  they  were 
by  no  means  devoid  of  interest.  In  fact,  their 
gorgeousness  of  color,  and  the  vagueness  of  detail 
that  allowed  each  to  represent  several  scenes,  ac 
cording  to  the  pleasure  of  the  lecturer,  rendered 
them  quite  as  popular,  if  not  so  instructive,  as  their 
modern  successors. 

The  success  of  a  panorama,  however,  depended 
largely  upon  the  person  who  explained  its  pictures. 
If  he  were  witty,  and  knew  how  to  tell  the  good 
story  of  which  each  one  was  certain  to  remind 
him,  all  went  well,  and  the  fame  of  that  panorama 
spread  far  and  wide.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he 


Raftmates:  A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  157 

was  prosy,  and  offered  only  dry  explanations  of 
his  pictures,  the  impatient  river -town  audience 
did  not  hesitate  to  express  their  dissatisfaction, 
and  the  exhibition  was  apt  to  close  with  a  riot. 

All  this  was  well  known  to  Cap'n  Cod ;  but 
twenty  years  of  absence  from  the  stage  had  caused 
him  to  lose  sight  of  his  first  and  only  humiliating 
appearance  before  an  audience,  and  had  restored 
all  his  youthful  confidence  in  his  own  abilities. 
He  was  therefore  to  be  the  lecturer  of  his  own 
show,  while  Winn  and  Solon  were  to  enter  the 
treadmill,  and  supply,  as  well  as  they  could,  the 
place  of  a  mule  in  furnishing  power  to  move  the 
heavy  roll  of  paintings.  Sabella  was  also  to  remain 
out  of  sight,  but  was  to  grind  out  music  from  the 
hand-organ  whenever  it  might  be  needed.  This 
was  only  a  temporary  position,  and  would  be  filled 
by  either  Winn  or  Solon  after  a  mule  had  been 
obtained  for  the  treadmill.  Sabella's  real  duty 
was  to  dress  Don  Blossom,  and  see  that  he  went  on 
the  stage  at  the  proper  time. 

The  hour  for  giving  these  arrangements  a  public 
test  finally  arrived.  By  eight  o'clock  the  exhibi 
tion  hall  of  the  Whatnot  was  packed  with  an 
audience  that  contained  a  number  of  raftsmen  and 
steamboat  hands  from  the  water-front.  These 
were  good-naturedly  noisy,  and  indulged  in  cat 
calls,  stampings,  and  other  manifestations  of  their 


158  Raftmates: 

impatience  for  the  curtain  to  rise.  An  occasional 
lull  in  the  tumult  allowed  the  droning  notes  of 
the  "  Sweet  By-and-By,"  then  new  and  extremely 
popular,  to  be  heard,  as  they  were  slowly  ground 
out  from  the  hand-organ  by  the  invisible  Sabella. 

At  length  they  ceased ;  the  little  drop-curtain 
was  slowly  rolled  up  so  as  to  expose  the  first  pict 
ure,  and  Cap'n  Cod,  pointer  in  hand,  in  all  the 
glory  of  the  blue  swallow-tail  with  brass  buttons, 
stepped  on  the  stage.  His  appearance  was  greeted 
with  a  silence  that  was  almost  painful  in  its  con- 
trast  with  the  previous  tumult. 

Now  for  the  neat  introductory  speech  that  the 
old  man  had  prepared  so  carefully  and  rehearsed 
until  he  knew  every  word  by  heart.  He  stepped 
forward,  and  gazed  appealingly  at  the  silent  au 
dience;  but  no  word  came  from  his  dry  lips. 
He  swallowed  convulsively,  and  appeared  to  be 
struggling  with  himself.  A  titter  of  laughter 
sounded  from  the  back  of  the  room.  The  old 
man's  face  became  fiery  red  and  then  deathly  pale. 
He  looked  helplessly  and  pitifully  from  side  to 
side. 

"Wind  him  up!"  shouted  a  voice. 

"  He's  stopped  short,  never  to  go  again,"  called 
another. 

"  He's  an  old  fraud,  and  his  show's  a  fake!" 

"Speech!  speech!" 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  159 

"  No ;  a  song !  Let  old  dot-and-carry-one  give 
ns  a  song !" 

"  Oh,  shut  up !     Don't  you    see  he's   a  ballet- 

doti 
ancer  i 

And  so  the  derisive  jeerings  of  this  audience, 
like  those  of  another  twenty  years  before,  hailed 
Cap'n  Cod's  second  failure.  His  confidence  in 
himself,  his  years  of  experience,  the  memory  of 
what  he  ought  to  say,  all  vanished  the  moment  he 
faced  that  mass  of  upturned  faces,  and  he  was  once 
more  the  dumb,  trembling  Codringhampton  of 
twenty  years  before.  A  mist  swam  before  his 
eyes,  he  groped  blindly  with  his  hands,  the  derisive 
yells  of  the  river-men,  who  were  endeavoring  to 
secure  their  money's  worth  of  amusement  from 
this  pitiful  spectacle,  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in 
his  ears.  He  tottered  backward,  and  would  have 
fallen,  had  not  a  young  man  from  the  audience 
sprang  to  his  assistance. 

Very  tenderly  he  helped  the  old  man  from  the 
stage  and  into  the  friendly  shadows  of  the  side 
scenes.  In  another  moment  he  reappeared.  With 
flashing  eyes  he  stepped  in  front  of  the  turbulent 
audience  and  held  up  his  hand.  The  curiosity  of 
the  river-men  was  sufficient  to  produce  an  almost 
instant  silence,  which  in  another  second  might 
have  changed  into  an  angry  roar. 

Who  was  this  young  fellow?     What  business 


160  Raftmates  : 

had  he  to  interfere  with  their  fun  ?  What  was  he 
going  to  say?  He'd  better  be  careful!  They 
were  not  in  a  humor  to  be  trifled  with. 

For  a  moment  he  looked  steadily  at  them. 
Then  he  said : 

"  Boys,  I  am  surprised,  and  if  I  thought  for  a 
moment  that  you  really  meant  to  worry  that  old 
man,  I  should  be  ashamed  of  you.  But  I  know 
you  didn't  It  was  only  your  fun.  He  has  been  a 
soldier,  and  lost  a  leg  fighting  for  you  and  me  and 
to  preserve  the  glorious  Union,  that  you  and  I  are 
prouder  of  than  anything  else  in  life.  He  has  a 
daughter  in  there  too — a  young  girl,  for  whom 
he  is  trying  to  make  a  living  with  this  show.  I 
saw  her  just  now,  and  if  you  could  have  seen  the 
look  of  distress  and  terror  on  her  face  as  she 
sprang  to  the  old  man's  side  you  would  feel  as  I 
do  about  this  business.  You  would  know,  as  I  do, 
that  this  was  no  fake,  but  a  square — A,  number  one 
— show,  packed  full  and  running  over  with  good 
things,  worth  ten  times  the  price  of  admission. 
You'd  know  that  it  was  just  the  bulliest  show  ever 
seen  on  this  little  old  river,  and  you'd  turn  in  with 
a  will  to  help  me  prove  it.  I  am  a  stranger,  just 
arrived  in  town,  and  never  set  eyes  on  this  outfit 
before ;  but  I'm  willing  to  put  up  my  last  dollar 
on  the  fact  that  this  show  is  so  much  better  than 
I've  said  that  as  soon  as  you've  seen  it  once,  you'll 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  16t 

want  to  see  it  right  over  again,  you'll  come  to  it 
every  evening  that  it  stays  here,  and  then  you'll 
follow  it  down  the  river  on  the  chance  of  seeing  it 
again.  Hello,  inside !  Turn  on  your  steam,  and 
set  your  whirligig  to  moving." 

By  this  time  the  good-nature  of  the  audience 
was  fully  restored,  and,  amid  encouraging  cries 
of  "  That's  the  talk  !"  "  King  the  jingle-bell  and 
give  her  a  full  head  !"  "  Sweep  her  out  into  the 
current  and  toot  your  horn,  stranger !"  the  pano 
rama  began  slowly  to  unroll.  The  young  man 
picked  up  the  pointer,  and  the  moment  the  second 
picture — a  lurid  scene  that  Cap'n  Cod  had  entitled 
"  The  Burning  of  Moscow  " — was  fully  exposed  to 
view,  he  began : 

"  There  you  have  it,  gentlemen !  One  of  the 
most  thrilling  events  of  this  century.  The  great 
San  Francisco  fire  of  '55.  City  swept  clean  from 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  built  up  again,  finer  than 
before,  inside  of  a  month.  I  tell  you,  fellows,  those 
Calif ornians  are  rustlers !  Why,  I  met  a  man  out 
in  'Frisco  last  month  whom  I  knew,  two  years 
ago,  as  a  raftsman  on  this  very  river  at  twenty  a 
month  and  found.  To-day  he  is  worth  a  cool  mill 
ion  of  dollars,  and  if  you  want  to  know  how  he 
made  it,  I'll  let  you  into  the  secret." 

And  so  the  young  stranger  rattled  on  with  story 
and  joke,  never  pausing  to  study  the  panoramic 


162  Raftmates: 

scenes  as  they  moved  slowly  along,  but  giving 
each  the  first  title  that  suggested  itself,  and  work 
ing  in  descriptions  to  fit  the  titles.  He  kept  it  up 
for  more  than  an  hour;  and  when  Sabella,  who 
was  watching  him  from  the  side  scenes  with  ad 
miring  wonder,  called  out  softly  that  the  picture 
he  was  then  describing  was  the  last,  he  gracefully 
dismissed  as  delighted  an  audience  as  ever  attend 
ed  a  river  show,  and  disappeared  with  them. 

Billy  Brackett  had  come  up  the  Illinois  side  of 
the  river  by  rail  and  stage,  and  had  been  ferried 
across  to  Mandrake  just  in  time  to  be  attracted  by 
the  incipient  riot  aboard  the  Whatnot.  Led  to  the 
scene  by  curiosity,  his  generous  indignation  was 
aroused  by  the  sight  of  the  helpless  old  man  and 
his  tormentors.  Now,  to  avoid  being  thanked  for 
what  he  had  done,  he  hurried  away,  released  Bim 
from  his  confinement  on  the  wharf-boat,  to  that 
bow-legged  animal's  intense  joy,  and  went  to  the 
hotel  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning,  when  he  came  down  into 
the  office,  the  clerk  handed  him  Mrs.  Caspar's 
letter.  He  stood  by  the  desk  and  read  it.  Then 
he  read  it  again,  with  a  frown  of  perplexity  deep 
ening  on  his  forehead.  "  Winn  here,  on  board  the 
Mantel-piece,  and  out  of  money !  What  can  Ellen 
mean  ?  She  must  be  losing  her  mind." 

The  young  man  was   so   engrossed   with   this 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Elver.  163 

letter  that  he  paid  no  attention  to  the  other  occu 
pants  of  the  room.  Thus  he  did  not  see  Cap'n 
Cod  and  his  niece  enter  the  front  door,  nor  notice 
that  the  former  was  greeted  by  two  men  who  had 
been  talking  earnestly  together  and  watching  him 
with  great  interest.  Nor  did  he  see  Sabella  stoop 
to  pat  Bim,  who  had  gone  to  meet  her.  He  did 
not  notice  the  entrance  a  moment  later  of  a  boy 
with  a  very  puzzled  expression  of  countenance 
and  an  open  letter  in  his  hand.  Neither  did  lie 
see  that  the  boy  was  accompanied  by  the  printer 
who  had  furnished  his  reward  notices,  and  who 
now  pointed  in  his  direction,  saying,  "  That's  him 
there.  That's  Mr.  Brickell." 

At  the  same  moment  Sabella  exclaimed,  "  Oh, 
Winn,  here's  Bim  !  Isn't  he  a  dear  dog?"  Then 
she  too  caught  sight  of  Billy  Brackett,  and  pulling 
Cap'n  Cod  by  the  sleeve,  whispered,  "  There  he  is, 
uncle.  That  is  the  gentleman  you  have  come  to 
thank  for  helping  us  so  splendidly  last  evening." 

While  she  was  thus  whispering  into  one  ear,  the 
night  watchman  of  the  wharf-boat,  who  stood  on 
the  other  side  of  the  old  man,  was  saying,  in  a  low 
tone,  "  Yes,  sir.  As  I  was  just  telling  the  Sheriff, 
that's  the  man  as  stole  his  skiff,  for  I  saw  him 
when  he  landed  here  in  it." 

Sheriff  Riley,  who  had  only  reached  Mandrake 
iialf  an  hour  before,  was  staring  at  Winn.  and 


164    Ro/i/mates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

saying  to  himself,  "  There's  the  young  rascal  now. 
I  knew  it  wasn't  that  other  fellow,  though  some 
how  his  face  is  strangely  familiar  too." 

There  was  a  momentary  hesitation  on  all  sides. 
Then,  as  though  moved  by  a  single  impulse,  Winn 
started  towards  Billy  Brackett  to  ask  him  if  his 
name  was  Brickell,  Cap'n  Cod  stepped  up  to  ex 
press  his  heart -felt  gratitude  for  what  he  had 
done  the  evening  before,  and  Sheriff  Riley  moved 
towards  Winn  with  the  intention  of  arresting  him. 
At  this  Bim,  recognizing  the  Sheriff,  stationed 
himself  in  front  of  his  preoccupied  master,  erected 
the  bristles  on  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  growled. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

EVERY    ONE    EXPLAINS. 

AT  Bim's  growl,  Billy  Brackett  said  "  Be  quiet, 
sir!"  and  looked  up.  He  wondered  somewhat  at 
the  number  of  persons  advancing  towards  him, 
and  was  also  surprised  to  note  that,  with  one  ex 
ception,  they  were  all  people  whom  he  knew. 
He  recognized  Sabella  and  her  uncle,  the  wharf- 
boat  man,  the  printer,  and  even  the  Sheriff  of  Du- 
buque  County.  The  only  one  of  the  group  whom 
he  had  not  seen  before  was  the  gentlemanly  and 
thoroughly  honest -looking  young  fellow  upon 
whose  shoulder  the  Sheriff  had  just  laid  his  hand, 
saying, 

"  I  want  you,  my  boy." 

"  I  expect  I  want  him  more  than  you  do,  Sher 
iff,"  remarked  Billy  Brackett,  quietly,  stepping 
forward  and  laying  a  hand  on  Whin's  other 
shoulder.  "  You  take  him  to  be  a  thief,  while  I 
take  him  to  be  my  nephew;  and,  of  course,  if  he  is 
the  one,  he  can't  be  the  other.  Isn't  your  name 
Winn  Caspar  ?  Answer  me  that,  you  young 
rascal !" 


166  Rafimaies: 

"  Yes,"  replied  Winn,  slowly,  "  that  is  my  name. 
But  what  a  stupid  I  have  been !" 

"  You  mean  in  allowing  yourself  to  be  carried 
off  by  the  raft,  and  then  losing  it,  and  getting 
arrested,  and  running  off  with  the  Sheriff's  skiff, 
and  letting  it  go  adrift  with  your  coat  in  it,  and 
shipping  aboard  some  craft  that  your  dear  mother 
calls  the  Mantel-piece  for  a  cruise  down  the  river, 
instead  of  getting  along  home  and  relieving  the 
anxiety  of  your  distressed  parents,  to  say  nothing 
of  that  of  your  aged  uncle.  Yes,  it  does  seem  to 
me  that  in  this  instance  the  general  brilliancy  of 
the  family  is  somewhat  clouded." 

"  I  don't  mean  anything  of  the  kind,"  answered 
Winn,  stoutly.  "  All  these  things  might  have 
happened  to  any  one,  even  to  an  uncle  of  your 
advanced  years  and  wisdom.  So  I  am  sure  I 
don't  consider  them  proofs  of  stupidity.  The 
only  stupid  thing  that  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge 
is  that  I  didn't  recognize  Bim,  after  I'd  been  told 
there  was  a  dog  of  that  name  here,  too.  That's 
the  thing  I  can't  get  over." 

"  But  you  had  never  seen  him !''  exclaimed 
Billy  Brackett. 

"That  makes  no  difference,"  was  the  calm  re 
ply.  "  I'd  heard  so  much  about  him  that  I  ought 
to  have  known  him,  and  I  can't  forgive  myself 
that  I  didn't" 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  167 

"  How  about  running  off  with  my  boat  ?"  que 
ried  the  Sheriff,  who  did  not  at  all  understand  the 
situation. 

"I  didn't  run  off  with  your  boat.  It  ran  off 
with  me  first,  and  ran  away  from  me  afterwards. 
If  you  hadn't  taken  the  oars  out  I  should  have 
rowed  into  Dubuque  and  sent  some  one  back  to 
the  island  with  her.  As  it  was,  I  had  to  go  wher 
ever  she  chose  to  take  me,  until  she  set  me  ashore 
on  a  tow-head,  and  went  on  down  the  river  by  her 
self.  I'm  glad  of  it,  though,  for  if  she  hadn't,  I 
should  never  have  found  the  Whatnot" 

"The  Whatnot!"  exclaimed  Billy  Brackett. 
"  Are  you  living  on  board  the  Whatnot  /" 

"  Yes,  sir,  this  young  gentleman  is  a  guest  on 
board  of  my  boat,"  said  Cap'n  Cod,  who  now  found 
his  first  chance  to  speak;  "and  glad  as  I  have 
been  to  have  him,  it  would  have  made  me  many 
times  happier  to  know  that  he  was  the  son  of 
my  old  friend  and  commander.  Why  didn't  yon 
tell  me  the  truth  in  the  first  place,  boy  ?"  And  the 
veteran  gazed  reproachfully  at  Winn. 

"  I  did  tell  you  the  truth  so  far  as  I  told  you 
anything.  I  didn't  dare  tell  you  any  more,  be 
cause  I  heard  you  say  you  were  a  friend  of  Sheriff 
Riley,  and  knew  his  skiff.  So  I  was  afraid  you 
would  have  me  arrested  for  running  off  with  it,  and 
in  that  way  delay  me  so  that  I  would  never  find 


168  Raftonates : 

the  raft.  Besides,  I  wanted  to  wait  until  I  could 
get  a  letter  from  home  to  prove  who  I  am,  and  I 
hadn't  a  chance  to  write  until  we  got  here." 

"  With  me,  the  simple  word  of  Major  Caspar's 
son  would  have  been  stronger  than  all  the  proof 
in  the  world,"  said  the  loyal  old  soldier ;  "  and 
though  you  did,  as  you  say,  tell  the  truth  so  far  as 
you  told  anything,  you  did  not  tell  the  whole 
truth,  as  your  father  certainly  would  have  done 
had  he  been  in  your  place." 

"  The  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but 
the  truth,"  quoted  the  Sheriff,  in  his  most  official 
tone.  "  But  look  here,  Cap'n  Cod,"  he  continued, 
"you  haven't  yet  explained  what  you  know  of 
this  young  fellow,  and  his  suspicious,  or,  to  say  the 
least,  queer  performances  on  the  river." 

"  Cap'n  Cod  !"  interrupted  Winn.  "  Is  your 
name  Cap'n  Cod  ?" 

"  It  is  a  name  that  I  have  been  known  to  answer 
to,"  replied  the  owner  of  the  Whatnot;  "  and  after 
my  performance  of  last  evening  I  don't  suppose  I 
shall  ever  be  allowed  to  claim  any  other." 

"  If  you  had  only  told  me  all  your  names  in  the 
first  place,"  said  Winn,  with  a  sly  twinkle  in  his 
eyes,  "  I  should  probably  have  done  the  same.  I 
have  so  often  heard  my  father  speak  of  Cap'n 
Cod's  goodness  and  honesty  and  bravery,  that  I 
should  have  been  perfectly  willing  to  trust  him; 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Riven\  169 

though  I  was  a  bit  suspicious  of  the  Sheriff's 
friend,  Mr.  Aleck  Fifield." 

"  It's  not  the  Sheriff's  friends  you  need  be  sus 
picious  of,  my  lad,  but  his  enemies,"  interrupted 
Mr.  Riley  ;  "  and  I  wonder  if  you  haven't  fallen 
in  with  them  already.  As  I  now  understand  this 
case,  you  came  down  the  river  on  a  raft  until  you 
reached  the  island  near  which  I  found  you.  What 
became  of  your  raft  at  that  point  ?" 

"  That  is  what  I  would  like  to  know,"  replied 
the  boy. 

"  What !"  cried  Billy  Brackett.  "  Do  you  mean 
to  say  that  you  don't  know  where  the  raft  is  ?" 

"  ]STo  more  than  I  know  how  you  happen  to  be 
here  instead  of  out  in  California,  where  I  supposed 
you  were  until  five  minutes  ago.  I  haven't  set 
eyes  on  the  Venture,  nor  found  a  trace  of  her, 
since  the  first  morning  out  from  home." 

"Well,  if  that  doesn't  beat  everything  !"  said  the 
young  engineer,  with  a  comical  tone  of  despair. 
"  I  thought  that  after  finding  you  the  discovery  of 
the  raft  would  follow  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but 
now  it  begins  to  look  farther  away  than  ever." 

"But  in  finding  me,"  said  Winn,  "you  have 
found  some  one  to  help  you  find  the  raft." 

"  You  ?"  said  the  other,  quizzically.  "  Why,  I 
was  thinking  of  sending  you  home  to  your  mother  ; 
that  is,  if  the  Sheriff  here  will  allow  you  to  go." 


110  Raftmates : 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  the  officer.  "It 
seems  to  me  that  I  still  know  very  little  about  this 
young  man.  Who  is  to  prove  to  me  that  he  is  the 
son  of  Major  Caspar  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  can  speak  for  that,"  replied  Billy 
Brackett. 

"And  I  suppose  he  is  ready  to  vouch  for  you ; 
but  that  won't  do.  You  see,  you  are  both  suspicious 
characters,  and  unless  some  one  whom  I  know  as 
well  as  I  do  Cap'n  Cod  here  can  identify  you,  I 
must  take  you  both  back  to  Dubuque." 

"  Captain  Cod,"  repeated  Billy  Brackett,  thought 
fully.  "I  seem  to  have  heard  that  name  before. 
Why,  yes,  I  have  a  note  of  introduction  from 
Major  Caspar  to  a  Captain  Cod,  and  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  you  were  the  very  man.  Here  it  is 
now." 

"  I  am  proud  to  make  your  acquaintance,  sir," 
said  the  veteran,  heartily,  after  glancing  over  the 
note  thus  handed  to  him.  "  It's  all  right,  Sheriff. 
This  is  certainly  the  Major's  handwriting,  for  I 
know  it  as  I  do  my  own,  and  I  don't  want  any 
better  proof  that  this  gentleman  is  the  person  he 
claims  to  be." 

"  Would  you  be  willing  to  go  on  his  bond  for  a 
thousand  dollars  ?"  asked  Mr.  Riley. 

"  I  would,  and  for  as  much  more  as  my  own 
property,  together  with  what  I  hold  in  trust  for 


A  8tory  of  the  Great  River.  171 

my  niece,  would  bring,"  answered  the  old  man, 
earnestly. 

"And  would  you  be  willing  that  your  money 
should  be  risked  on  any  such  a  venture  ?"  asked 
the  Sheriff,  turning  to  Sabella  with  a  smile. 

"Indeed  I  would,"  answered  the  girl,  promptly. 
"  After  the  splendid  way  Mr.  Brackett  helped  us 
last  evening,  I  know  whatever  he  says  must  be  so." 

"That  will  do,"  said  Mr.  Riley.  "With  such 
sureties  I  am  well  content,  and  am  willing  to  make 
public  acknowledgment  that  these  gentlemen  are 
what  they  represent  themselves  to  be.  Now,  for 
their  future  guidance,  I  will  tell  them  what  I  have 
not  yet  hinted  to  a  living  soul.  It  is  that  their 
raft  has  probably  been  stolen  and  taken  down  the 
river  by  the  most  noted  gang  of  counterfeiters 
that  has  ever  operated  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
There  are  three  of  them,  and  I  thought  I  had 
surely  run  them  to  earth  when  I  traced  them  to 
the  island  just  above  Dubuque.  You  must  have 
seen  them  there,  didn't  you  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Winn,  to  whom  this  question 
was  addressed.  "  I  only  saw  one  man  on  the 
island.  He  said  he  was  a  river-trader,  and  would 
help  me  float  the  raft.  We  went  to  look  for  his 
partners,  and  when  I  came  back,  it  and  he  were 
both  gone.  After  that  I  did  not  see  a  soul  until 
you  oame  along  and  arrested  me." 


172  Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

"That  confirms  my  belief  that  they  have  ap 
propriated  your  raft  to  their  own  uses,"  said  the 
Sheriff ;  "  and  it  is  a  mighty  good  scheme  on  their 
part,  too.  We  were  watching  all  the  steamboats, 
and  even  the  trading  scows,  but  never  thought  of 
finding  them  on  a  raft.  They  have  probably  dis 
guised  it,  and  themselves  too,  long  before  this,  so 
that  to  trail  them  will  be  very  difficult.  I  sup^ 
pose  you  will  try  to  follow  them,  though  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  shall,"  answered  Billy  Brackett, 
promptly.  "I  haven't  undertaken  this  job  only 
to  give  it  up  after  a  week's  trial.  As  for  Winn, 
though,  I  don't  know  but  what  I  really  ought  to 
send  him  home." 

"  Now  look  here,  Uncle  Billy.  You  know  you 
don't  mean  that.  You  know  that,  much  as  I  want 
to  see  mother  and  Elta,  I  simply  must  find  that 
raft,  or,  at  any  rate,  help  you  do  it.  You  couldn't 
send  me  home,  either,  unless  you  borrowed  a  pair  of 
handcuffs  from  the  Sheriff  and  put  me  in  irons. 
Anyway,  I  don't  believe  you'd  have  the  heart.  If 
I  thought  for  a  moment  that  you  had,  I'd — well, 
I'd  disappear  again,  that's  all." 

"All  right,"  laughed  Billy  Brackett.  "I'm  will 
ing  you  should  go  with  us  if  Bim  is.  What  do 
you  say,  old  dog  \  Speak,  sir  !" 

And  Bim  spoke  till  the  echoes  rang  again. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A    "MEWBL"  NAMED    "REWARD." 

IT  being  thus  settled  that  the  search  for  the 
raft  was  to  be  continued,  the  Sheriff  said :  "  I 
wish  I  could  go  with  you,  Mr.  Brackett,  and  see 
this  affair  through ;  but  those  fellows  are  beyond 
my  hunting-ground  now,  and  I've  got  important 
business  to  attend  to  up  the  river.  I'll  tell  you 
what  I  will  do,  though.  I'll  appoint  you  a  deputy, 
and  give  you  a  bit  of  writing  witnessed  by  a  no 
tary,  as  well  as  a  badge.  The  paper  will  identify 
you,  and  state  that  you  are  engaged  on  government 
business,  which  entitles  you  to  official  aid  wher 
ever  you  may  demand  it.  I  will  also  give  you 
samples  of  the  bills  those  fellows  are  circulating. 
They  are  fives  and  tens,  and  by  far  the  best  speci 
mens  of  that  kind  of  work  I  have  ever  seen.  Of 
course,  if  you  don't  catch  them  it  will  be  all  right ; 
but  if  you  do,  perhaps  you'll  remember  old  friends 
when  the  reward  is  paid." 

Billy  Brackett  thanked  Mr.  Riley,  and  accepted 
these  friendly  offers,  though  he  afterwards  re 
marked  to  Winn  that  as  they  were  searching  for 


Ill  It.  Raftmates : 

a  lost  raft,  and  not  for  a  gang  of  counterfeiters, 
he  thought  it  unlikely  that  he  should  ever  play 
the  part  of  Sheriff. 

"But  you'd  try  for  that  reward  if  you  had  the 
chance,  wouldn't  you  ?"  asked  Winn. 

"  No,  I  would  not,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 
"Man -hunting,  and  especially  man -hunting  for 
money,  is  not  in  my  line.  It  is  a  duty  that  Sher 
iffs  are  obliged  to  perform,  but,  thank  goodness, 
I  am  not  a  Sheriff." 

At  the  conclusion  of  all  these  explanations  and 
arrangements,  the  entire  party  adjourned  to  the 
Whatnot,  to  which  Sabella  had  already  returned, 
and  where  they  were  to  dine,  by  Cap'n  Cod's  in 
vitation. 

"What  a  good  dinner  it  was,  and  what  a  merry 
one !  How  Solon,  who  in  a  speckless  white  apron 
waited  at  table,  grinned  at  the  praises  bestowed 
upon  his  cooking !  How  they  all  chaffed  each  other ! 
"Winn  was  ironically  praised  for  his  success  in 
losing  rafts,  and  the  Sheriff  for  his  in  capturing 
counterfeiters ;  Cap'n  Cod  was  gravely  congratu 
lated  upon  the  result  of  his  efforts  to  entertain  the 
public,  and  even  Sabella  was  highly  praised  for 
her  skilful  performance  on  the  hand-organ.  With 
all  this  banter,  Cap'n  Cod  did  not  lose  sight  of  the 
obligation  under  which  Billy  Brackett  had  placed 
him  the  evening  before,  and  so  sincerely  regretted 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  176 

that  he  and  Winn  were  not  to  continue  their  voy 
age  down  the  river  on  the  Whatnot,  that  the 
former  finally  said : 

"  Well,  sir,  if  you  really  want  us  to,  I  don't  see 
why  we  shouldn't  travel  with  you  until  we  over 
haul  our  raft.  I  am  rather  taken  with  this  show 
business  myself,  and  have  always  had  a  desire  to 
appear  on  the  stage.  As  for  Winn,  and  that  other 
young  monkey,  Don  Blossom — " 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Winn.  "  I'd  rather  take 
the  part  of  monkey  than  of  mule,  any  day." 

"  Other  young  monkey,"  continued  Billy  Brack- 
ett,  gravely,  without  noticing  this  interruption, 
"  we'll  hitch  them  together  and  exhibit  them 
as  Siamese  twins.  Oh,  I  tell  you,  gentlemen, 
we'll  give  a  show  such  as  never  was  seen  on  this 
little  old  river.  I  don't  suppose  this  craft  is  as  fast 
as  some  of  the  larger  steamboats,  but  she  can  cer 
tainly  overtake  a  raft,  and  we  might  just  as  well 
have  some  fun  out  of  the  trip  as  not." 

"  But  she  is  not  a  steamboat,"  confessed  Cap'n 
Cod. 

"Not  a  steamboat !  What  is  she  then,  and  how 
do  you  propel  her  ?" 

"  She  is  only  a  mule-boat,  and  at  present,  as  we 
have  no  mule,  we  merely  drift  with  the  current." 

At  this  Billy  Brackett  became  thoughtful,  and 
asked  to  be  shown  into  the  engine-room.  He  had 


176  Raftmates: 

not  appreciated  Winn's  reference  to  acting  the 
part  of  a  mule  until  now ;  but  at  sight  of  the 
treadmill,  and  a  sudden  realization  of  the  part  his 
nephew  had  taken  in  the  performance  of  the  pre 
ceding  evening,  he  laughed  until  the  tears  filled 
his  eyes,  and  the  others  laughed  in  sympathy. 

"  Oh,  Winn,  Winn  !"  he  cried.  "  You'll  be  the 
death  of  me  yet !  1  wonder  if  ever  an  uncle  was 
blessed  with  such  an  absurd  nephew  before  ?" 

''That's  all  right,  Uncle  Billy,"  said  Winn; 
"  but  you  just  step  in  and  work  that  treadmill  for 
an  hour.  Then  see  if  you'll  laugh.  Eh,  Solon  ?" 

"No,  sah.  Ole  Solom  he  don'  git  in  dere  no 
mo'.  He  gwine  strike,  he  am,  agin  dish  yer 
mewel  bizness." 

"  Look  here,  Winn,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  when 
he  had  recovered  his  gravity,  "  didn't  I  offer  a 
reward  for  your  discovery  ?" 

"  To  be  sure  you  did ;  and  I  meant  to  claim  it, 
too.  That's  what  I  got  the  printer  to  point  out 
Mr.  '  Brickell '  for.  So  I'll  take  it  now,  if  you 
please." 

"  That  is  one  of  the  rewards  I  expected  to  earn," 
remarked  Cap'n  Cod.  "  And  I  wrote  to  your  father 
for  full  particulars  concerning  your  disappearance ; 
but  I  don't  suppose  there  is  any  chance  for  me 
now,  so  long  as  you  have  discovered  yourself,  unless 
you  could  make  it  convenient  to  get  lost  again." 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  177 

"  I  was  rather  expecting  to  come  in  for  that  re 
ward  myself,"  said  the  Sheriff. 

"  While  I,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  "  had  about  con 
cluded  that  if  any  one  was  entitled  to  it,  it  was  the 
young  rascal's  worthy  uncle.  But  I'll  tell  you  how 
we  will  settle  these  several  claims.  Solon  here  is 
almost  the  only  one  who  has  not  applied  for  the 
reward,  though  I  am  convinced  that  he  is  as  well 
entitled  to  it  as  any  of  us.  Therefore  I  am  going 
to  pay  it  to  him — 

At  this  the  old  negro's  eyes  grew  wide  as  sau 
cers.  He  had  never  been  possessed  of  a  hundred 
dollars  in  his  life. 

"  On  condition,"  continued  the  young  engineer, 
"that  he  immediately  invests  it  in  a  mule,  which 
he  shall  offer  to  our  friend  Cap'n  Cod  as  a  substi 
tute  for  himself  and  Winn  in  the  treadmill.  I 
shall  receive  my  reward  by  being  permitted  to 
travel  on  the  Whatnot  and  study  for  the  stage, 
while  the  Sheriff  shall  be  rewarded  by  being  al 
lowed  to  name  the  mule." 

Although  they  all  laughed  at  this  scheme  and 
considered  it  a  good  joke,  Billy  Brackett  was  deeply 
in  earnest  beneath  all  his  assumed  frivolity.  He 
realized  that  finding  the  raft  and  taking  possession 
of  it  were  no  longer  one  and  the  same  thing.  The 
fact  that  it  was  in  the  hands  of  a  gang  of  men  who 
were  at  once  shrewd  and  desperate  rendered  its 


178  Raftmates: 

recovery  an  affair  requiring  all  the  discretion  and 
skill  that  he  could  command.  For  the  purpose  in 
view,  a  boat  like  the  Whatnot,  with  which  he  could 
stop  when  and  where  he  pleased,  as  well  as  visit 
places  unattainable  by  larger  craft,  was  much  bet 
ter  suited  than  a  steamboat  that  would  only  touch 
at  certain  fixed  points.  Then  again  he  and  Winn 
would  be  less  likely  to  arouse  the  suspicion  of  those 
whom  they  sought  if  attached  to  Cap'n  Cod's 
show  than  if  they  appeared  to  have  no  definite 
business  or  object  in  view.  He  calculated  that  by 
using  mule -power  in  the  daytime  and  drifting 
with  the  current  at  night  the  Whatnot  could  be 
made  to  reach  St.  Louis  as  soon  as  the  raft,  and 
still  allow  time  for  several  exhibitions  of  the  pan 
orama  on  the  way.  From  the  outset  he  had  ex 
pected  to  take  the  raft  at  least  as  far  as  St.  Louis, 
and  now  was  perfectly  willing  that  its  present  crew 
should  have  the  labor  of  navigating  it  to  that  point. 
Thus  the  plan  of  travelling  by  the  Whatnot  com 
mended  itself  strongly  to  his  judgment,  besides 
proving  highly  satisfactory  to  all  those  interested 
in  it. 

Even  Birn  approved  of  it,  for  in  addition  to  show 
ing  a  decided  appreciation  of  Sabella's  friendship, 
this  intelligent  animal  evinced  a  desire  to  become 
more  intimately  acquainted  with  Don  Blossom,  who 
was  the  first  of  his  race  he  had  ever  encountered. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  fiiver.  179 

The  mule  selected  by  Solon,  and  guaranteed  by 
that  expert  in  mules  to  be  "  a  tumble  wukker,  'kase 
I  sees  hit  in  he  eye,"  was  purchased  that  very 
afternoon,  and  immediately  introduced  to  the  scene 
of  his  future  labors. 

Sheriff  Riley  named  him  "  Reward."  Then  bid 
ding  these  strangely  found  friends  good-bye,  and 
taking  his  recovered  property  with  him,  he  boarded 
an  up-bound  steamboat  and  started  for  home. 

As  there  was  no  reason  why  the  others  should 
not  also  begin  their  journey  at  once,  the  Whatnot 
was  got  under  way  at  the  same  time,  and  headed 
down  the  stream. 

Cap'n  Cod  proudly  occupied  the  pilot-house; 
Solon  attended  to  the  four-legged  engine ;  Sabella 
was  making  preparations  for  supper;  while  the  two 
who  would  be  raftmates,  provided  they  only  had 
a  raft,  paced  slowly  back  and  forth  on  the  upper 
deck,  enjoying  the  scenery  and  discussing  their 
plans. 

"  If  we  only  knew  how  those  fellows  had  dis 
guised  the  raft,  and  what  she  looked  like  now!" 
remarked  Billy  Brackett. 

"  I'm  certain  that  I  should  recognize  it  under 
any  disguise,"  asserted  Winn,  positively. 

"  That  may  be,  but  it  would  simplify  matters  if 
we  could  have  some  definite  description  of  the 
craft.  Now  we  shall  have  to  board  every  raft  we 


180  Baftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer. 

overhaul,  on  some  pretence  or  other,  and  make  in 
quiries.  And  that  reminds  me  that  the  Whatnot 
does  not  seem  to  be  provided  with  a  skiff." 

"Yes,  Solon  said  there  was  one  on  this  deck, 
covered  with  canvas.  That  must  be  it  there,"  re 
plied  Winn.  As  he  spoke  he  lifted  an  edge  of  the 
bit  of  old  sail  that  protected  some  bulky  object 
from  the  weather,  and  looked  beneath  it.  Then  he 
uttered  a  cry  of  amazement,  and  tore  the  canvas 
completely  off. 

"  It's  my  canoe,  as  sure  as  I'm  standing  here !" 
he  shouted.  "  The  very  one  that  was  carried  off  on 
the  raft!" 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

REWARD  RUNS  AWAY  WITH  THE  PANORAMA. 

THERE  was  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  the 
canoe,  covered  by  a  bit  of  canvas,  which  had  rested 
all  this  time  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  Whatnot^ 
was  the  very  one  whose  loss  had  grieved  Wirin 
almost  as  much  as  that  of  the  raft  itself.  If  he 
had  needed  proof  other  than  his  certain  knowl 
edge  of  the  little  craft,  it  was  at  hand ;  for,  as  he 
pointed  out  to  Billy  Brackett,  there  were  his  ini 
tials,  rudely  cut  with  a  jack-knife,  just  inside  the 
gunwale.  How  well  he  remembered  carving  them, 
one  sunny  afternoon,  when  he  and  Elta  were  drift 
ing  down  the  creek!  Yes,  indeed,  it  was  his  canoe 
fast  enough,  but  how  came  it  there?  There  was 
but  one  way  to  obtain  an  answer,  and  in  another 
minute  Cap'n  Cod  was  being  plied  with  eager 
questions  as  to  when,  where,  and  how  he  came 
into  possession  of  the  dugout. 

"That  canoe?"  he  questioned  slowly,  looking 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  wondering  at  their 
eagerness.  "Why,  I  bought  it  off  a  raft  just 
before  leaving  Dubuque.  You  see,  I  didn't  have 


182  Haftmates  : 

any  skiff,  and  didn't  feel  that  I  could  afford  to  buy 
one.  So  I  was  calculating  to  build  one  after  we'd 
got  started.  Then  a  raft  came  along,  and  the  fel 
lows  on  it  must  have  been  awfully  hard  up,  for 
they  offered  to  sell  their  canoe  so  cheap  that  I 
just  had  to  take  it.  Two  dollars  was  all  I  gave 
for  it ;  and  though  it  isn't  exactly — " 

"  But  what  sort  of  a  raft  was  it  ?"  anxiously  in 
terrupted  Winn. 

"  Just  an  ordinary  timber  raft  with  a  ' shanty' 
and  a  tent  on  it,  and — " 

"  You  mean  three  '  shanties,'  don't  you  ?" 

"  No ;  one  '  shanty '  and  a  tent.  I  took  particu 
lar  notice,  because  as  there  were  only  three  men 
aboard,  I  wondered  why  the  '  shanty,'  which  looked 
to  be  real  roomy,  wasn't  enough." 

"  Three  men  !"  exclaimed  Billy  Brackett — "  a 
big  man,  a  middle-sized  man,  and  a  little  man,  like 
the  bears  in  the  story-book.  Why  Winn,  that's 
our  raft,  and  I've  been  aboard  it  twice  within  the 
last  four  days." 

"You  have!  Where?  How?  Why  didn't 
you  tell  me  ?  Where  is  it  now  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  have  been  aboard  it  here  and  there. 
Didn't  mention  it  because  I  haven't  been  ac 
quainted  with  you  long  enough  to  post  you  in 
every  detail  of  my  previous  history,  and  now  that 
raft  is  somewhere  down  the  river,  between  here 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  183 

and  St.  Louis."  Then  changing  his  bantering  tone, 
the  young  engineer  gave  a  full  explanation  of  how 
he  happened  to  board  the  Venture  twice,  and  when 
he  finished,  Winn  said, 

"  But  you  haven't  mentioned  the  wheat.  Didn't 
you  notice  it  ?" 

"  Wheat !  Oh  yes.  I  do  remember  your  father 
saying  he  had  put  some  wheat  aboard  as  a  specula 
tion  ;  but  I  didn't  see  anything  of  any  wheat,  nor 
was  there  any  place  where  it  could  have  been  con 
cealed." 

"  Then  they  must  have  thrown  it  overboard,  as 
I  was  afraid  they  had,  and  there  was  a  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  it,  too." 

"Whew!  Was  there  as  much  as  that?"  said 
Billy  Brackett,  thoughtfully.  "So  those  rascals 
first  stole  it,  and  then  threw  it  away,  and  now 
there  is  a  thousand  dollars  reward  offered  for  infor 
mation  that  will  lead  to  their  capture.  I  declare, 
Winn,  circumstances  do  sometimes  alter  cases." 

"  Indeed  they  do,  and  I  think  we  ought  to  ac 
cept  that  reward,  for  father's  sake.  I  know  I  feel 
as  if  I  owed  him  at  least  a  thousand  dollars." 

"  Did  you  ever  cook  a  rabbit  before  you  caught 
it,  Winn  «" 

"  Of  course  not.  How  absurd  !  Oh,  I  see  what 
you  mean,  but  I  don't  think  it's  the  same  thing 
at  all  We  can't  help  finding  the  raft,  new  that 


184  Raftmates: 

we  know  where  it  is,  and  just  what  it  looks 
like." 

Billy  Brackett  only  laughed  at  this,  and  then, 
in  obedience  to  Sabella's  call,  they  went  down  to 
supper.  The  engine  was  stopped  that  it  also 
might  be  fed,  and  for  an  hour  the  Whatnot  was 
allowed  to  drift  with  only  Solon  on  deck.  Then 
Reward  was  again  set  to  work,  and  until  ten 
o'clock  the  unique  craft  spun  merrily  down-stream. 
From  that  hour  the  engine  was  allowed  to  rest 
until  morning ;  and  while  they  drifted,  the  crew 
divided  the  watches  of  the  night  between  them, 
Cap'n  Cod  and  Winn  taking  one,  and  Billy  Brack 
ett  with  Solon  for  company  the  other. 

At  midnight  Sabella  had  a  lunch  ready  for  the 
watch  just  coming  below,  as  well  as  for  the  one 
about  to  turn  out ;  and  then,  wrapped  warmly  in 
a  blanket,  she  sat  for  an  hour  on  the  upper  deck 
with  Cap'n  Cod  and  Winn,  fascinated  by  the  nov 
elty  of  drifting  down  the  great  river  at  night. 
The  lights  that  twinkled  here  and  there  along  the 
shores  earlier  in  the  evening  had  disappeared,  and 
the  whole  world  seemed  asleep.  The  brooding 
stillness  was  only  broken  by  the  distant  hooting 
of  owls,  or  the  musical  complainings  of  the  swift 
waters  as  they  chafed  impatiently  against  some 
snag,  reef,  or  bar. 

They  talked  in  hushed  voices,  and  Sabella  re- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  186 

lated  how  the  man  from  whom  her  uncle  pur 
chased  Winn's  canoe  had  told  her  that  she  re 
minded  him  of  his  own  little  daughter,  who  lived 
so  far  away  that  she  didn't  even  know  where  her 
father  was.  "  He  loves  her  dearly,  though,"  added 
Sabella.  "  I  know  from  the  way  he  talked  about 
her;  but  I  can't  think  what  he  meant  when  he 
said  I  ought  to  be  very  grateful  because  I  didn't 
have  any  father,  and  that  it  would  be  much  better 
for  his  little  girl  if  she  hadn't  one  either." 

"  I  suppose  he  meant  because  he  is  such  a  bad 
man,''  suggested  Winn. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  is  a  bad  man,"  protested 
Sabella.  "  If  he  was,  he  just  couldn't  talk  the 
way  he  did." 

"  But  he  stole  our  raft,  and  he  is  a  counterfeiter, 
and  there's  a  reward  offered  for  him." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  Only  yesterday  some 
people  thought  you  had  stolen  a  boat,  and  were  a 
counterfeiter,  and  there  were  two  rewards  offered 
for  you,"  laughed  Sabella.  "  So  perhaps  this  man 
isn't  any  worse  than  you  were.  Anyhow,  I'm 
going  to  like  him  for  his  little  girl's  sake,  until  I 
find  out  that  he  is  really  a  bad  man." 

"I  wonder  if  it  could  have  been  Mr.  Gilder?" 
thought  Winn,  as  he  remembered  how  that  gentle 
man  had  won  his  confidence.  Then  he  entertained 
Cap'n  Cod  and  Sabella  by  relating  the  incident  of 


186  Eaftmates: 

his  warm  reception  to  the  first  and  only  one  of  the 
"  river-traders  "  whom  he  had  met. 

By  noon  of  the  next  day  they  reached  the  point 
at  which  Billy  Brackett  had  last  seen  the  raft,  and 
they  knew  that  here  their  search  for  it  must  begin 
in  earnest.  For  five  days  more  they  swept  on 
down  the  mighty  river  at  the  rate  of  nearly  a 
hundred  miles  a  day.  They  no  longer  ran  at 
night,  for  fear  of  passing  the  raft  in  the  darkness, 
but  from  sunrise  to  sunset  they  hurried  southward 
with  all  possible  speed.  They  made  inquiries  at 
every  town  and  ferry  landing;  they  scanned  criti 
cally  every  raft  they  passed,  and  boarded  several 
that  appeared  to  be  about  the  size  of  the  Venture, 
though  none  of  them  showed  a  tent  in  addition  to 
its  "shanty."  During  every  minute  of  daylight 
either  Billy  Brackett  or  Winn  watched  the  river 
from  the  upper  deck,  but  at  the  end  of  five  days 
they  had  not  discovered  the  slightest  trace  of  the 
missing  raft. 

Cap'n  Cod  became  so  interested  in  the  chase 
that  he  would  willingly  have  kept  it  up  by  night 
as  well  as  by  day,  without  stopping  to  give  exhibi 
tions  anywhere ;  but  this  Billy  Brackett  would  not 
allow. 

"  We  are  certainly  travelling  faster  than  they," 
he  argued,  "  even  if  they  are  not  making  any 
stops,  which  is  improbable,  considering  the  nature 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  187 

of  their  business.  So  we  must  overtake  them 
sooner  or  later,  and  we  can't  afford  the  risk  of 
missing  them  by  running  at  night.  Besides,  this 
is  a  show-boat,  and  not  a  police  patrol  boat.  Its 
reputation  must  be  sustained,  and  though  we  don't 
take  time  enough  at  any  one  place  to  advertise, 
and  so  attract  a  crowd,  we  can  at  least  pay  ex 
penses." 

So  the  panorama  was  exhibited  every  evening, 
and  Billy  Brackett,  acting  as  lecturer,  pointed  out 
the  beauties  of  the  li  composite  "  paintings,  in  his 
own  witty,  happy-go-lucky  way,  to  such  audiences 
as  could  be  collected. 

At  one  of  these  exhibitions,  given  at  Alton,  only 
twenty  miles  from  St.  Louis,  and  just  above  the 
point  where  the  clear  waters  of  the  Mississippi 
disappear  in  the  turbid  flood  of  the  greater  Mis 
souri,  an  incident  occurred  that,  while  only  re 
garded  as  amusing  at  the  time,  was  productive  of 
most  important  results  to  our  friends.  At  Billy 
Brackett 's  suggestion,  Don  Blossom,  dressed  to 
represent  the  lecturer,  had  been  trained  to  slip 
slyly  on  the  stage  after  the  panorama  was  well 
under  way.  Provided  with  a  bit  of  stick,  he  would 
walk  behind  the  lecturer,  and  gravely  point  at  the 
picture  in  exact  imitation  of  the  other's  move 
ments.  For  a  minute  or  so  Billy  Brackett  would 
continue  his  remarks  as  though  nothing  unusual 


188  Raftmates  .• 

were  happening.  At  length,  when  he  had  allowed 
sufficient  time  to  elapse  for  an  audience  to  fully 
appreciate  the  situation,  he  would  turn  as  though 
to  learn  the  cause  of  their  uproarious  mirth,  dis 
cover  the  monkey,  and  chase  him  from  the  stage 
with  every  sign  of  anger. 

In  rehearsal,  this  act  had  been  done  to  perfec 
tion;  but  the  first  time  Don  Blossom  heard  the 
storm  of  cheers,  yells,  and  laughter,  with  which 
his  appearance  was  greeted  by  a  genuine  river  au 
dience,  he  became  so  terrified,  that  without  wait 
ing  to  be  driven  from  the  stage  he  fled  from  it. 
Darting  behind  the  scenes  and  on  through  the 
living-room,  he  finally  took  refuge  in  the  darkest 
corner  of  the  engine-room,  where  Reward  was 
drowsily  working  his  treadmill.  The  monkey 
was  so  frightened  that  a  moment  later,  when  Sa- 
bella  went  to  find  him,  he  sprang  away  from  her, 
and  with  a  prodigious  leap  landed  squarely  on 
Reward's  head,  where,  chattering  and  screaming, 
he  clung  desperately  to  the  long  ears. 

The  next  instant  a  frantic  mule  was  performing 
the  almost  impossible  feat  of  running  away  on  a 
treadmill.  At  the  same  time,  to  Billy  Bracket t's 
dismay  and  to  the  astonishment  of  his  audience, 
the  several  pictures  of  the  panorama  were  flitting 
by  in  a  bewildering  stream  of  color,  the  effect  of 
which  was  kaleidoscopic  and  amazing. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  JSiver.  189 

This  was  Don  Blossom's  first  and  last  appear 
ance  on  the  stage  in  public,  for  he  was  so  thoroughly 
frightened  that,  after  being  rescued  from  his  un 
happy  position,  nothing  could  induce  him  to  enter 
either  the  exhibition  hall  or  the  engine-room  again. 
An  hour  later  he  managed  to  evade  the  watchful 
ness  of  his  young  mistress,  slip  from  the  boat,  and 
scamper  away  through  the  darkness.  His  absence 
was  not  discovered  until  the  next  morning,  and  at 
first  it  was  supposed  that  he  was  in  hiding  some 
where  on  board.  When  a  thorough  search  failed 
to  produce  the  little  rascal,  all  except  Sabella 
declared  he  would  never  be  found,  and  they  must 
proceed  down  the  river  without  him.  Against  this 
decision  the  little  girl,  who  had  become  deeply  at 
tached  to  her  pet,  protested  so  earnestly  that  Cap'n 
Cod  finally  agreed  to  devote  an  hour  to  searching 
the  town  and  making  inquiries  for  the  lost  mon 
key.  In  order  to  make  the  search  as  thorough  as 
possible,  he,  Billy  Brackett,  Winn,  and  Solon  went 
ashore  and  started  in  different  directions,  leaving 
Sabella  alone  on  the  Whatnot. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
WINN  DISCOVERS  HIS  LONG-LOST  RAPT. 

THE  morning  was  gray  and  chill.  The  low- 
hanging  clouds  were  charged  with  moisture,  and 
a  thick  fog  hung  above  the  river.  Sabella  was  so 
filled  with  anxiety  concerning  the  fate  of  Don 
Blossom  that  she  was  unable  to  settle  down  to 
any  of  the  light  domestic  duties  with  which  she 
generally  occupied  her  mornings.  She  wandered 
restlessly  from  door  to  window,  with  the  vague 
hope  that  her  missing  pet  might  be  somewhere  in 
sight.  If  the  weather  had  not  been  so  unpleasant, 
she  would  have  started  out  on  a  private  search  for 
him  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  landing.  All 
at  once,  as  she  was  gazing  from  the  window  of  her 
own  little  room  on  the  upper  deck  at  the  dreary- 
looking  houses  of  the  river-front,  and  as  far  as  she 
could  see  up  the  one  muddy  street  that  came 
within  her  range  of  vision,  she  heard  shouting 
and  laughter,  and  saw  a  group  of  persons  approach 
ing  the  boat. 

For  a  few  minutes  she  could  not  make  out  who 
they  were,  or  what  they  were  doing.  Then  she 


JRaftmates:  A  Story  of  ike  Great  Ri/ver.  191 

saw  that  the  one  taller  than  the  others  was  a  man, 
and  that  he  was  surrounded  by  a  group  of  boys. 
Several  of  them  ran  backward  in  front  of  him,  and 
all  of  them  seemed  greatly  excited  over  something 
that  he  bore  in  his  arms.  It  was  a  red  bundle  that 
squirmed  and  struggled  as  though  it  was  alive. 
Sabella  looked  for  a  moment  longer,  then  she 
darted  down  the  short  fight  of  steps  leading  to  the 
living-room,  and  flung  open  the  outer  door. 

"  It's  Don  Blossom  !  It's  my  own  dear,  sweet 
Don  Blossom !"  she  cried,  almost  snatching  the 
trembling  little  animal  from  the  man's  arms  in 
her  eagerness. 

The  man  stepped  inside,  and  closed  the  door  to 
ehut  out  the  boys,  who,  after  lingering  a  few  min 
utes,  gradually  dispersed. 

"  Oh,  you  dear  monkey  !  How  could  you  run 
away  ?  You  naughty,  naughty  Don  Blossom ! 
Was  he  cold  and  wet  and  hungry  and  fright 
ened  ?  But  he's  safe  now,  and  he  shall  have  his 
breakfast  directly ;  so  he  shall,  the  dear  blessed !" 

While  Sabella  was  so  much  engrossed  with  her 
pet  as  to  be  unmindful  of  all  else,  the  man  who 
had  restored  him  to  her  stood  just  within  the 
doorway  and  watched  her,  with  an  amused  smile. 

"  So  he  is  your  monkey,  is  he  ?  I  thought  he 
must  be  when  I  first  saw  him,"  he  said  at  length. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  he  is  ;  and  I  have  been  feeling  so 


192  Raftmate*  : 

badly  at  losing  him.  But  where  did  you  find 
him,  and  how  did  you  know  he  was  mine  ?"  Here 
the  little  girl  looked  for  the  first  time  into  the 
stranger's  face.  "Why,  you  are  the  very  same 
one—" 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  quietly,  "  I  am  the  very  same 
one  whom  you  reminded  of  his  own  little  girl,  and 
who  has  thought  of  you  very  often  since.  I  didn't 
know  that  you  had  reached  this  place,  or  I  should 
have  come  to  see  you  before.  I  found  this  monkey 
a  little  while  ago  in  possession  of  some  boys  who 
were  teasing  him,  and  thought  I  recognized  him 
as  soon  as  I  saw  him.  I  became  certain  he  was 
yours  when  some  of  the  boys  said  they  had  seen 
him  on  a  show-boat  last  evening,  and  that,  after 
they  had  had  some  fun  with  him,  they  were  going 
to  bring  him  down  here  and  claim  a  reward.  As 
I  wanted  the  pleasure  of  bringing  him  back  to  you 
myself,  I  bought  him  of  them,  and  here  he  is." 

"  Then  you  are  not  a  bad  man,  as  Winn  said, 
but  a  very  good  one,  as  I  told  him,  and  now  I  can 
prove  it !"  exclaimed  Sabella,  with  a  note  of  joyous 
triumph  in  her  voice.  "  I'm  ever  and  ever  so 
much  obliged  to  you,  and  I  only  wish  I  could  see 
your  little  girl  to  tell  her  what  a  splendid  father 
she  has." 

"  Who  is  Winn  ?  And  what  makes  him  think 
I  arn  a  bad  man  ?"  inquired  the  stranger,  curiously. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  193 

"  Oh,  he's  a  boy,  a  big  boy,  that  has  lost  a  raft 
that  we  are  helping  him  find,  and  he  thinks  you 
stole  it.  So  he  says  you  are  a  bad  man ;  but  I  know 
you  are  not,  and  you  wouldn't  do  such  a  mean  thing 
as  to  steal  a  boy's  raft,  would  you  ?" 

"  Well,  no,"  hesitated  the  stranger,  greatly  taken 
aback  by  this  unexpected  disclosure  and  abrupt 
question.  "No,  of  course  not,"  he  added,  recov 
ering  himself.  "  I  wouldn't  steal  a  raft,  or  any 
thing  else,  from  a  boy,  though  I  might  occasion 
ally  borrow  a  thing  that  I  needed  very  much.  But 
where  is  this  Winn  boy  now  ?  And  where  is  your 
uncle?" 

"  They  have  gone  out  to  find  Don  Blossom,  and 
Mr.  Brackett  and  Solon  have  gone  too,  but  they'll 
all  be  back  directly,  and  then  you  can  tell  them 
that  you  only  borrowed  Winn's  raft,  and  where 
you  have  left  it.  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  it  was  you  that 
found  Don  Blossom !" 

"  Who  is  Mr.  Brackett  ?"  inquired  the  stranger, 
glancing  uneasily  out  of  the  window. 

"  Mr.  Brackett  3  Why,  he  is  Winn's  uncle, 
though  you  wouldn't  think  he  was  an  uncle,  or 
any  older  than  Winn,  he  is  so  funny,  and  he  is 
helping  find  the  raft.  But  you'll  see  him  in  a  few 
minutes,  for  they  said  they'd  only  be  gone  an 
hour." 

"  I  think  I'll  go  and  find  them,  and  tell  them 


194  Eaftmates  : 

they  needn't  hunt  any  longer  for  the  monkey," 
said  the  stranger,  hurriedly. 

Then,  before  Sabella  could  remonstrate,  he  had 
bent  down  and  kissed  her,  saying,  "  Good-bye,  and 
God  bless  you,  little  one,"  opened  the  door,  and 
was  gone. 

u  Seems  to  me  that  is  very  foolish,  when  he 
might  have  seen  them  by  just  waiting  a  few  min 
utes,"  said  Sabella  to  herself,  as  she  pulled  off  Don 
Blossom's  gay  but  soaked  and  mud  -  bespattered 
coat.  "  Now  perhaps  he  will  miss  them  after 
all." 

The  stranger  had  hardly  disappeared  before 
Solon  returned  to  the  boat,  grumbling  at  the  weath 
er,  the  mud,  and,  above  all,  at  the  rheumatism  that 
forbade  him  to  remain  out  in  the  wet  any  longer. 

"  Hit  hain't  no  use,  honey,"  he  said,  as  he 
opened  the  door,  "dat  ar  Don  monkey  gone  fur 
good  an'  all  dish  yer  time.  Yo'  nebber  see  him 
no  mo.'  Wha — wha — whar  yo  fin'  him?  He 
ben  yeah  all  de  time,  while  ole  Solon  ben  er  traip- 
sin'  fro  de  mud,  an'  er  huntin',  an'  er  huntin'  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,  he  hasn't !"  cried  Sabella,  laughing 
merrily,  as  she  held  Don  Blossom  up  to  the  aston 
ished  gaze  of  the  old  negro.  "  He  has  just  come 
home."  Then  she  explained  at  length  how  her 
pet  had  been  brought  back  to  her  by  such  a  good 
kind  man. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Rww.  195 

"Well,  ef  dat  ar  ain't  a  beater!"  ejaculated 
Solon.  "  I's  mighty  glad  de  lil  rasc'l  is  foun',  any 
way,  'kase  now  we  kin  be  gittin'  outen  dish  yer 
rheumatizy  place.  I'll  go  an'  hitch  up  dat  mewel, 
so  to  hab  him  ready  to  start  when  de  Cap'n  come.'1 

Upon  leaving  the  Whatnot,  Cap'n  Cod  had 
turned  to  the  left,  or  up  along  the  river-front  of 
the  town  ;  Billy  Bracket t  had  plunged  directly 
into  its  business  portion,  intending  to  keep  ou 
until  he  reached  the  hills  beyond,  on  which  stood 
the  better  class  of  residences ;  and  Winn  had  turned 
to  the  right. 

The  young  engineer,  closely  followed  by  Bim, 
walked  for  several  blocks  without  seeing  or  hear 
ing  anything  of  the  runaway  monkey.  Suddenly, 
with  a  low  growl,  Bim  started  across  the  street. 
His  master  was  just  in  time  to  see  a  man  spring 
into  the  open  doorway  of  a  store,  and  slam  the 
door  to  as  the  dog  leaped  furiously  against  it. 

The  glimpse  he  caught  of  the  man's  face  was 
like  a  lightning  flash,  but  it  was  enough.  He 
knew  him  to  be  the  raftsman  who  had  kicked 
Bim,  and  whom  he  had  rescued  from  the  dog's 
teeth  at  Mandrake,  more  than  a  week  before. 
"He  is  one  of  those  scoundrels  who  stole  the 
Venture,  and  if  I  can  only  trace  him  I'll  find 
the  raft,"  thought  the  young  man,  as  he  dashed 
across  the  street  after  Bim. 


196  Raftmates: 

Seizing  the  dog's  collar,  and  bidding  him  be 
quiet,  he  opened  the  door  of  the  store  and  stepped 
inside.  There  was  no  one  to  be  seen,  save  the 
proprietor  and  two  or  three  startled-looking  clerks. 

"Where  is  he?"  demanded  Billy  Brackett,  hur 
riedly.  "  The  man,  I  mean,  who  ran  in  here  just 
now!" 

"  That  dog  ought  to  be  killed,  and  if  you  don't 
take  him  out  of  here  at  once  I'll  call  the  police," 
said  the  proprietor  of  the  store,  indignantly.  "  It's 
an  outrage  to  allow  such  brutes  to  run  at  large." 

"  That's  the  reason  I'm  holding  him,"  said  Billy 
Brackett ;  "  but  where  is  the  man  ?" 

"  I  don't  know;  but  I  hope  he  has  gone  for  hie 
gun,  and  will  know  how  to  use  it  too.  If  he 
don't,  I—" 

The  young  engineer  did  not  wait  to  hear  more, 
for  at  that  moment  he  spied  a  back  door  standing 
partly  open.  That  was  where  his  man  had  gone, 
and  without  paying  any  further  attention  to  the 
irate  shopkeeper,  he  dashed  out  through  it  with 
Bim  at  his  heels. 

Winn  searched  high  and  low,  with  the  utmost 
faithfulness,  until  he  reached  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  but  without  finding  a  trace  of  the  missing 
Don  Blossom.  There  was  a  growth  of  timber 
lining  the  river-bank,  just  beyond  the  houses,  and 
the  boy  ventured  a  little  way  into  this,  arguing 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  197 

that  a  monkey  would  naturally  take  to  trees.  It 
was  so  wet  and  dripping  in  the  timber  that  he 
only  remained  there  a  few  minutes ;  but  as  he 
turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  his  attention  was  di 
verted  by  a  new  object  of  interest. 

He  was  on  a  bank  of  the  river,  beside  which 
was  moored  a  raft.  It  was  a  timber  raft,  with  a 
single  large  "  shanty,"  that  had  a  strangely  familiar 
look,  standing  amidship. 

"  It  isn't  the  Venture,  of  course,"  thought  "Winn ; 
"but  I'll  just  step  aboard  and  inquire  if  they 
have  seen  anything  of  a  raft  with  a  "shanty"  and  a 
tent  on  it.  It  will  save  us  some  time  when  we 
get  started  down  the  river  again." 

So  thinking,  the  boy  stepped  lightly  aboard. 
His  footfalls  were  deadened  by  the  wet,  so  that 
he  gained  the  forward  end  of  the  "  shanty  "  with 
out  attracting  attention.  The  door  was  closed, 
and  Winn  was  startled  to  note  how  very  familiar 
that  gable  end  of  the  building  looked.  He  raised 
his  hand  to  knock  at  the  door,  when  suddenly  it 
was  flung  open,  and  a  harsh  voice  asked,  "What 
do  you  want  \  and  what  are  you  doing  here,  young 
man?" 

As  Winn  was  about  to  reply  his  glance  pene 
trated  the  interior  of  the  "shanty,"  and  for  an 
instant  he  stood  speechless. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  RAFT  AND  THE  SHOW-BOAT  CHANGE  CREWS. 

IT  must  be  remembered  that  while  Winn  would 
have  recognized  Mr.  Gilder,  he  had  not  seen  the 
other  "  river-traders,"  Plater  and  Grimshaw.  Of 
these  two,  the  former  had  not  set  eyes  on  the  lad 
whose  raft  they  had  stolen ;  but  the  latter  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  him,  and  now,  as  he  noted 
Winn's  startled  glance  into  the  interior  of  the 
"  shanty,"  it  flashed  into  his  mind  who  this  intru 
sive  boy  was. 

The  "river-traders"  had  not  really  expected 
Winn  to  follow  them.  They  imagined  that  after 
he  escaped  from  the  island,  which  they  hoped  he 
would  not  do  for  several  days,  he  would  be  glad 
enough  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  home.  Still, 
they  had  taken  the  precaution  of  disguising  the 
Venture  by  throwing  the  wheat  overboard,  tear 
ing  down  the  buildings  in  which  it  had  been 
stowed,  and  erecting  a  tent  in  place  of  one  of 
them.  As  they  were  well  provided  with  various 
changes  of  wigs  and  beards,  they  felt  quite  safe 
until  Billy  Brackett  boarded  the  raft  for  the  second 


JRaftmates :  A  Stot^y  of  the  Great  River.   199 

time,  and  made  inquiries  for  one  having  three 
"  shanties."  Then  they  realized  that  a  search  was 
being  made  for  them,  or,  at  least,  for  the  craft 
from  which  they  were  operating. 

They  felt  somewhat  easier  when  one  of  their 
number,  detailed  to  watch  the  movements  of  their 
unwelcome  visitor,  returned  and  reported  that  he 
had  gone  back  up  the  river.  Still,  they  thought  it 
well  to  again  alter  the  appearance  of  the  raft  by 
removing  the  tent,  and  so  lengthening  the  "  shanty  " 
as  to  materially  change  its  aspect.  They  also  al 
lowed  the  raft  to  drift  night  and  day  for  nearly 
five  hundred  miles  without  a  pause.  Then,  again 
feeling  safe  from  pursuit,  they  tied  up  just  below 
the  City  of  Alton,  Illinois,  and  prepared  to  resume 
their  dishonest  business. 

Their  plan  of  operations  was  to  purchase  goods 
wherever  they  stopped,  but  always  in  such  small 
quantities  that  for  the  bills  they  tendered  in  pay 
ment  they  received  a  certain  amount  of  good 
money  in  change.  A  little  farther  along  they 
would  offer  the  goods  thus  accumulated  for  sale 
so  cheaply  that  they  readily  disposed  of  them.  In 
this  way  they  not  only  did  a  thriving  business,  but 
kept  up  the  appearance  of  being  what  they  claimed 
to  be — "  river-traders  "  and  raftsmen. 

In  this  wicked  scheme  of  cheating  and  stealing, 
Plater  and  Grimshaw  felt  no  scruples  nor  regrets ; 


900  Kaftmates  : 

but  with  Mr.  Gilder,  especially  after  his  meeting 
with  Sabella,  the  case  was  different.  He  was 
a  man  of  gentlemanly  instincts,  and  was  a  skil 
ful  engraver,  who  had  worked  in  the  Govern 
ment  Printing-office  at  Washington  for  several 
years.  There  he  was  extravagant,  got  into  debt, 
yielded  to  the  temptation  to  make  a  fortune  easily, 
and  became  a  counterfeiter.  The  present  under 
taking  was  his  first  experience  in  that  line  of 
wickedness,  and  he  was  already  heartily  sick  of  it. 
While  on  the  island,  where  his  part  of  the  work 
was  engraving  and  printing,  he  had  not  realized 
the  contemptible  nature  of  his  unlawful  business. 
He  had  merely  been  filled  with  pride  in  his  own 
skill,  which  feeling  his  associates  took  good  care 
to  encourage  by  artful  praise. 

When  he  met  Sabella,  it  flashed  across  him  for 
the  first  time  that  his  own  little  girl,  far  away  in 
an  eastern  city,  was  the  daughter  of  a  criminal, 
and  from  that  moment  he  was  a  changed  man. 
Through  the  long  days  and  longer  nights,  as  the 
raft  drifted  down  the  great  river,  these  thoughts 
were  ever  with  him :  "  What  will  she  say  when 
she  finds  it  out?  How  will  she  act?  Will  she 
ever  kiss  me,  or  even  speak  to  me  again  ?  I  have 
made  her  very  name  a  disgrace.  What  shall  I  do 
to  wipe  it  out?  What  shall  I  do?" 

His  companions  noticed  his  strange  mood,  and 


A  /Story  of  the  Great  River.  201 

jeered  at  him,  but  failed  to  change  it.  Finally 
they  became  suspicious,  and  held  secret  consulta 
tions  as  to  how  they  should  rid  themselves  of  him. 
They  finally  determined  to  accomplish  this  in 
some  way  at  St.  Louis,  and  so  matters  stood  when 
they  made  their  stop  at  Alton.  Here  they  in 
tended  remaining  until  they  had  transacted  a  satis 
factory  amount  of  business.  Thus,  on  the  foggy 
morning  following  Don  Blossom's  escape  from  the 
Whatnot,  Messrs  Gilder  and  Plater  had  gone  into 
the  town  to  familiarize  themselves  with  its  locali 
ties,  while  Grimshaw  was  left  to  look  out  for  the 
raft.  Now  Winn  Caspar  had  accidentally  discov 
ered  it,  and  recognized  it  as  the  Venture. 

He  did  not  know  the  man  standing  in  the  door 
way  and  looking  so  curiously  at  him,  nor  did  he 
suppose  himself  known  by  the  other.  So,  with  a 
great  effort,  he  strove  to  conceal  the  tumult  of  his 
feelings,  and  to  appear  natural  and  self-possessed. 
He  answered  the  man's  curt  inquiry  regarding  his 
business  there  by  saying,  in  as  pleasant  a  tone  as 
he  could  command,  that  he  was  searching  for  a 
lost  monkey,  which  he  thought  might  have  taken 
to  the  timber  beside  which  this  raft  was  moored. 
"  You  startled  me  by  throwing  open  your  door  so 
suddenly  just  as  I  was  about  to  knock,"  he  con 
tinued  ;  "  but  you  haven't  seen  anything  of  a  stray 
monkey  this  morning,  have  you  ?" 


802  Raftmates: 

"  Not  until  this  moment,"  answered  the  man, 
surlily,  "  and  I  don't  want  to  see  any  more  of  him. 
Good-day." 

With  this  he  slammed  the  door  in  the  boy's 
face,  and  then,  stealing  on  tiptoe  to  a  window, 
watched  for  his  departure  from  the  raft. 

To  say  that  Mr.  Grimshaw  was  rendered  uneasy 
and  apprehensive  by  this  sudden  appearance  of 
one  whom  he  supposed  to  be  hundreds  of  miles 
away,  and  who  was  also  the  very  person  he  was 
most  anxious  to  avoid,  would  by  no  means  express 
his  feelings.  He  was  so  terrified  and  unnerved 
that  for  a  moment  he  thought  of  leaving  the  raft 
to  its  fate,  and  making  good  his  own  escape  while 
he  had  time.  Then  he  wondered  if  it  would  not 
be  better  to  cast  it  loose  and  drift  away  through 
the  fog  to  some  new  hiding-place.  It  would  never 
do  to  go  without  his  partners,  though ;  for,  in  the 
first  place,  he  could  not  manage  the  raft  alone,  and 
in  the  second  there  was  no  knowing  what  Gilder 
would  do  if  he  thought  himself  deserted  and  per 
haps  betrayed.  No,  he  must  find  his  associates 
without  delay,  and  warn  them  of  this  unexpected 
danger.  He  wondered  if  the  boy  were  alone.  Per 
haps  he  had  friends  in  hiding  near  by,  to  whom  he 
had  gone  to  report.  In  that  case  his  own  safety 
demanded  that  he  discover  them  before  they 
reached  the  raft.  The  boy  had  already  disappeared 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  203 

in  the  timber,  and  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost  in 
following  him. 

Thus  reasoning,  Grimshaw  left  the  "shanty," 
locking  its  door  behind  him  as  he  did  so,  and 
springing  ashore,  hastened  up  the  trail,  along  which 
Winn  had  disappeared  a  few  seconds  before.  It 
took  him  about  three  minutes  to  reach  the  fat 
edge  of  the  timber  and  outskirts  of  the  town, 
Here  several  streets  began,  and  as  he  could  not 
follow  them  all,  he  was  brought  to  a  halt.  Which 
way  should  he  go  now  ?  He  had  seen  nothing  of 
the  boy,  whom  he  certainly  ought  to  have  over 
taken  before  this,  nor  of  any  other  person.  Could 
he  have  passed  them  ?  Where  should  he  look  for 
Gilder  and  Plater  ?  Would  it  not  be  better,  after 
all,  to  await  their  return  on  the  raft  ?  Of  course  it 
would.  He  had  been  a  fool  to  leave  it,  and  now 
his  best  plan  was  to  get  back  to  it  as  quickly  as 
possible. 

These  thoughts  occupied  less  than  a  minute, 
and  so  impatient  was  the  man  to  regain  the  raft 
he  had  just  left  that  inside  of  two  minutes  more 
he  again  stood  on  the  river-bank.  He  had  been 
gone  barely  five  minutes,  and  in  that  time  he  had 
not  seen  a  human  being.  Now  he  could  not  see 
the  raft.  He  rubbed  his  eyes  and  looked  again. 
He  could  see  a  few  rods  of  water,  but  beyond  that 
the  fog  was  impenetrable.  He  shouted,  but  there 


804  Raftmates : 

was  no  answer.  Perhaps  this  was  not  the  place. 
He  ran  a  little  way  up  the  shore,  and  then  as 
far  in  the  opposite  direction,  but  without  success. 
Then  he  returned  to  his  starting-point,  and  found 
the  end  of  a  rope.  It  was  attached  to  a  tree,  and 
had  been  cut.  It  was  a  bit  of  the  line  that  had 
held  the  raft,  and  the  raft  was  gone. 

The  blow  was  a  heavy  one,  and  for  a  few  min 
utes  Grimshaw  stood  like  one  who  is  stunned. 
The  loss  of  that  raft,  under  the  circumstances, 
meant  ruin.  It  meant  the  loss  of  everything  he 
had  or  cared  for  in  the  world.  At  first  the  reali 
zation  of  this  loss  rendered  him  speechless.  Then 
he  began  to  rave  and  revile  his  own  carelessness. 
After  a  few  minutes  devoted  to  this  he  again 
started  up  the  trail.  He  was  determined  to  pro 
cure  some  craft  and  start  in  instant  pursuit  of  the 
raft.  He  would  go  in  company  with  his  partners 
if  he  ran  across  them,  but  alone  if  he  did  not. 
Before  he  reached  the  far  edge  of  the  timber  he 
met  Plater  running  and  breathless. 

"Get  back  to  the  raft!"  shouted  the  new 
comer.  "  They're  after  us !" 

"  They've  got  us,"  was  the  bitter  answer.  "  At 
least  they've  got  the  raft,  and  we  must  hunt  some 
boat  in  which  to  follow  them  at  once." 

A  few  words  more  explained  the  situation,  and, 
angry  as  he  was,  Plater  did  not  stop  to  waste  time 


A  Story  of  ttte  Great  River.  205 

in  idle  reproaches  just  then.  He  only  said,  "  It's 
that  sneak  Gilder's  doings,  I'll  bet  my  pile." 

Grimshaw  agreed  to  this,  and  as  they  hurried 
along  they  both  thought  of  their  partner  as  float 
ing  down  the  river  on  the  raft  in  company  with 
their  enemies  and  glorying  over  their  discom 
fiture. 

"  We'll  get  even  with  him,  though,"  growled 
Plater. 

"  Yes,  we  will"  snarled  Grimshaw. 

And  then  they  met  the  object  of  their  anger 
hurrying  away  from  the  levee  which  they  were 
approaching. 

"  Where  are  you  fellows  going  ?"  he  cried,  and 
then,  in  a  lower  tone,  he  added,  "  We've  got  to 
get  out  of  here  in  a  hurry,  for  they  are  in  this 
very  town  and  looking  for  us.  I've  just  come 
from  their  boat." 

"Who  have  they  left  aboard?"  asked  Grim 
shaw. 

"  Only  a  child,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Let  us  take  a  look  at  it,  then,  so  we  will  know 
it  as  well  as  you  the  next  time  we  see  it." 

So  Mr.  Gilder  went  back  to  point  out  the  What 
not  to  his  companions,  and  when  they  sprang 
aboard  and  began  to  cast  off  the  lines  that  held  it 
to  the  levee  he  followed  them,  with  a  vague  idea 
of  protecting  Sabella. 


206  Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

The  next  moment,  Solon,  who  had  just  finished 
hitching  up  Reward,  was  startled  by  the  ringing 
of  the  engine-room  bell.  It  was  the  signal  to 
go  ahead.  Thinking  that  the  others  must  have 
returned  and  were  ready  to  start,  he  obeyed  it. 
Thus  the  Whatnot,  in  full  possession  of  the  "  river- 
traders,"  moved  slowly  out  into  the  stream,  and 
again  started  in  pursuit  of  the  raft  she  had  fol 
lowed  for  so  long. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  DISASTROUS  COLLISION. 

THE  running  off  with  that  boat  from  the  water 
front  of  a  city  in  broad  daylight  was  a  bold  thing 
to  do.  But  these  men  were  accustomed  to  taking 
desperate  risks,  and  had  done  many  more  reckless 
things  than  this  in  the  course  of  their  lawless  ca 
reers  ;  besides,  they  expected  to  overtake  the  raft 
within  an  hour  or  so,  when  they  would  send  the 
boat  back  to  its  owner,  or  leave  it  where  he 
could  find  it.  They  did  not  yet  understand 
the  connection  between  Cap'n  Cod,  whom  they 
knew  as  the  proprietor  of  the  Whatnot •,  and  those 
who  were  interested  in  the  recovery  of  the  raft. 
That  made  no  difference,  however.  It  was  enough 
that  this  boat  had  been  used  in  their  pursuit,  and 
that  by  taking  it  they  might  delay  this  pursuit 
until  they  should  recover  the  raft  and  make  good 
their  escape.  Besides,  it  happened  to  be  the  only 
available  boat  lying  at  the  levee  just  then,  and 
they  would  have  taken  it  even  though  they  had 
been  obliged  to  use  force  to  gain  its  possession,  so 
eager  were  they  to  recapture  the  Ventwre. 


208  Raftmate»: 

This  was  the  reasoniDg  of  two  of  the  "river- 
traders  ;"  while  the  third  sprang  aboard  because 
the  others  did,  and  without  stopping  to  reason. 
Gritnshaw  made  his  way  at  once  to  the  pilot 
house,  where  Mr.  Gilder  followed  him,  in  order  to 
learn  his  plans.  Plater  walked  aft,  and  through 
the  engine-room  window  saw  that  the  mule  was 
already  in  his  treadmill,  where  Solon  had  just  com 
pleted  his  harnessing.  Without  alarming  the  negro 
by  making  his  presence  known,  the  big  man  stole 
away,  and  gaining  the  pilot-house,  rang  the  en 
gine-room  bell  that  meant  "  Go  ahead."  To  the 
great  satisfaction  of  at  least  two  of  the  "  river- 
traders"  this  order  was  promptly  obeyed.  Within 
a  couple  of  minutes  the  city  had  disappeared,  and 
the  Whatnot  was  slipping  down  the  fog-enshroud 
ed  river. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?"  demanded  Mr. 
Gilder,  as  he  followed  Grimshaw  into  the  pilot 
house.  "  Are  you  crazy  that  you  are  going  off 
with  this  boat  and  leaving  the  raft  behind  ?  Or 
do  you  mean  to  run  in  to  where  it  is,  take  our 
stuff  aboard,  and  continue  the  cruise  in  this  craft  ? 
Because  if  you  do,  you  can  count  me  out.  This 
is  too  conspicuous  a  boat  for  my  use.  Why,  man, 
she'll  be  spotted  by  the  police  inside  of  twenty- 
four  hours  1" 

"  I  expect  it's  about  time  we  counted  you  out. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

anyway,"  answered  the  other,  gruffly.  "Plater 
and  I  have  about  made  up  our  minds  that  you  are 
playing  a  double  game,  and  had  some  hand  in  the 
disappearance  of  the  raft." 

"  The  disappearance  of  the  raft  ?"  exclaimed  the 
other,  blankly.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  How  did 
the  raft  disappear?  And  when  did  it  disappear? 
And  where  were  you,  whom  we  left  to  look  after 
it '(  If  you  have  lost  that  raft  you'll  answer  to  me 
for  my  share  in  it,  and  I'll  see  that  you  make  it 
good  too,  you  sneaking — 5<l 

"  Come,  come,  Gilder !  Simmer  down  !"  inter 
rupted  Plater,  who  had  entered  the  pilot-house  in 
time  to  hear  these  angry  words.  "This  isn't  the 
time  nor  place  for  us  to  quarrel.  We've  too  much 
at  stake.  The  raft  has  gone,  and  we  are  after  it. 
That's  all  Grim  and  I  know.  Whatever  informa 
tion  you  can  give  concerning  its  disappearance  will 
be  gratefully  received. 

The  interchange  of  high  words  that  followed  had 
almost  led  to  blows,  when  Mr.  Gilder  suddenly  be 
came  silent,  and  stepped  quickly  to  the  pilot-house 
door.  He  had  just  caught  sight  of  Sabella  hold 
ing  Don  Blossom  in  her  arms,  and  staring  through 
the  open  doorway  with  an  expression  of  frightened 
bewilderment.  She  had  expected  to  find  her  uncle 
and  Billy  Brackett  and  Winn,  and  had  hastened  to 
announce  the  joyful  news  of  Don  Blossom's  safety. 


£10  Raftmates  : 

Now  as  Mr.  Gilder  led  her  aft  and  down  into 
the  living-room,  he  strove  to  banish  that  fright 
ened  look  by  gentle  words  and  reassuring  promises. 

"But  where  is  my  Uncle  Aleck?  And  where 
are  Mr.  Brackett  and  Winn?  I  can't  find  them 
anywhere.  Solon  said  they  were  in  the  pilot 
house." 

'*  They  are  on  the  raft,  and  we  are  going  to  find 
them,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  they've  got  the  raft  again!  And 
I'm  glad  you  gave  it  back  to  them,  too.  Now, 
Winn  can't  say  you  are  a  bad  man  any  longer. 
But  you've  only  borrowed  the  What/not  for  a  little 
while,  haven't  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  only  for  a  little  while." 

"  I  don't  think  those  others  are  very  nice-looking 
men,  and  I  was  awfully  afraid  until  I  saw  you. 
Then  I  knew  it  must  be  all  right." 

"  It  is  all  right,  little  one,  and  there  is  nothing 
for  you  to  be  afraid  of.  No  harm  shall  come  to 
you  so  long  as  I  am  here,  and  I  promise  to  see  you 
safe  with  your  friends  again  before  leaving  you. 
You  see,  I  am  making  believe  that  you  are  my  own 
little  girl,  and  I  want  you  to  feel  just  as  safe  and 
happy  as  she  would  if  she  were  here  in  your 
place." 

"  Of  course  I  feel  safe  now,"  answered  Sabella, 
promptly.  "  I  have,  ever  since  I  found  out  it  was 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  211 

you  who  had  borrowed  the  Whatnot.  For  a  min 
ute,  though,  I  was  afraid  those  disagreeable — " 
Here  the  child  hesitated.  She  did  not  want  to 
hurt  her  new  friend's  feelings.  "  I  mean,"  she 
added,  hastily,  "that  those  other  gentlemen  had 
stolen  it.  And  I  will  make  believe  I  am  your  own 
little  girl,  for  I  haven't  any  papa,  and  only  one 
uncle  in  the  world.  I  wish  you  would  tell  me 
your  name,  though.  I  don't  think  I  ever  knew 
any  one  so  well  before  without  knowing  his  name." 

The  man  hesitated,  and  looked  curiously  at  the 
sweet  face  upturned  to  his.  Then,  as  though  ar 
rived  at  a  sudden  conclusion,  he  said, 

"  My  name  is  Gresharn,  William  Gresham,  but 
my  little  girl  calls  me  '  Papa  Billy.' J! 

"  Then  we'll  make  a  bargain !"  exclaimed  Sabella, 
joyfully.  "  That's  the  very  name  of  Winn's  uncle; 
and  if  I  make  believe  you  are  my  uncle,  I  shall 
have  an  Uncle  Billy  as  well  as  he.  I  think  that's 
better,  too,  because  you  know  a  girl  couldn't  have 
but  one  own  papa,  but  she  might  have  a  hundred 
uncles  if  she  wanted.  So  we'll  make  that  a  bar 
gain,  and  I'll  give  you  a  kiss  if  you  like,  because 
Uncle  Aleck  says  that's  always  the  other  part  of  a 
bargain." 

With  the  kiss  of  the  innocent  child  warm  on  his 
lips,  William  Gresham  returned  to  the  upper  deck. 
His  heart  was  very  tender  at  that  moment,  and 


£12  ftaftmates: 

though  he  did  not  express  any  resolve  in  words, 
he  knew  that  a  black  page  of  his  life  had  just  been 
closed,  never  to  be  reopened.  He  met  Plater  com 
ing  to  find  him,  for  he  was  wanted  to  aid  in  keep 
ing  the  sharp  lookout  that  the  fog  rendered  nec 
essary. 

With  all  their  senses  alert  and  strained,  the 
Driver-traders"  kept  on  for  two  hours  without  dis 
covering  a  trace  of  the  raft.  Then  they  knew  they 
must  have  passed  it,  and  so  headed  the  Whatnot 
up-stream  again,  hoping  to  meet  it.  Now  they 
barely  held  their  own,  without  making  any  progress, 
for  they  knew  the  raft  would  drift  in  the  channel 
with  the  strongest  current,  and  therefore  that 
where  the  water  ran  swiftest  they  must  await  its 
coming. 

Solon,  fully  occupied  with  his  duties  as  engineer 
and  with  preparations  for  dinner,  paid  little  heed 
to  Sabella  when  she  looked  in  at  the  galley  door 
to  inform  him  that  her  Uncle  Billy  said  everything 
was  all  right. 

"  1  specs  so,  honey,  I  specs  so,  an'  of  co'se  hit's 
all  right  ef  yo'  Unc'  Billy  say  so.  Him  a  mighty 
knowin'  young  gen'l'man,  dat  ar  Unc'  Billy  am, 
fo'  shuah." 

As  the  day  advanced,  there  were  occasional  rifts 
in  the  fog,  and  in  one  of  these  Mr.  Gilder,  as  we 
will  still  call  hinit  caught  a  momentary  glimpse 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  SIS 

of  the  raft.  It  was  drifting  at  some  distance  to 
the  right  of  them,  and  in  a  few  moments  would 
be  again  out  of  sight.  His  first  impulse  was  to 
announce  this  discovery  to  his  companions,  and 
his  second  was  to  remain  silent.  He  acted  upon 
the  second,  and  was  almost  doubtful  if  he  had  really 
seen  the  raft  at  all,  so  quickly  did  it  again  disap 
pear.  Suddenly  there  came  a  sound  of  blows,  as 
though  some  one  were  chopping  wood  on  board 
the  raft. 

There  was  an  exulting  shout  from  the  pilot 
house,  the  steering-wheel  was  put  hard  over,  and 
the  boat  began  to  swing  slowly  at  right  angles  to 
the  current.  She  was  headed  in  the  direction  of 
the  raft,  and  Mr.  Gilder  knew  that,  owing  to  those 
ill-timed  blows,  it  had  been  discovered.  Yes.  Now 
he  could  see  it  again.  There  it  was,  not  a  hundred 
yards  away,  and  the  Whatnot  was  headed  so  as  to 
intercept  it  as  it  came  down.  What  should  he  do  \ 
It  would  be  foolish  to  struggle  for  possession  of 
the  wheel  against  the  two  desperate  men  in  the 
pilot-house.  He  could  stop  the  machinery  though, 
or,  better  still,  reverse  it,  and  so  give  the  raft  a 
chance  to  drift  past  and  again  disappear  in  the 
mist.  For  Sabella's  sake  he  would  make  the 
attempt. 

He  had  already  started  for  the  lower  deck,  when 
his  steps  were  arrested  by  a  second  shout  from  the 


Raftmates : 

pilot-house,  and  another  sound  that  smote  on  his 
ear  like  a  death-knell.  It  was  the  hoarse  note  of 
a  deep-toned  whistle  apparently  at  his  side.  There 
was  a  jangling  of  bells,  a  wild  yelling,  the  roar  of 
escaping  steam,  and  then  the  dim  form  of  a  great 
up-river  packet  loomed  above  the  little  craft  on 
which  he  stood  like  some  awful  fog  monster  in 
tent  upon  its  destruction. 

The  man  stood  at  the  head  of  the  steps  leading 
down  into  the  living-room,  where  Sabella,  uncon 
scious  of  the  impending  peril,  was  singing  a  quaint 
old  hymn  as  she  set  the  table  for  dinner.  He  had 
heard  his  mother  sing  that  hymn  when  he  was  a 
boy  at  home.  So  long  ago,  and  so  far  away.  A 
second  more  and  this  sweet  young  life  would  be 
blotted  out,  and  the  little  body,  crushed  beyond 
recognition,  would  be  buried  deep  beneath  the 
waters  of  the  great  river,  while  he  would  be  safe 
on  the  lower  deck  of  that  steamboat.  He  could 
easily  spring  to  it  from  the  upper  deck  of  the 
Whatnot,  as  he  saw  Plater  and  Grimshaw  were 
about  to  do. 

"  I  promise  to  see  you  safe  with  your  friends 
again."  That  was  what  he  had  said,  and  it  was 
to  that  child  he  had  said  it.  In  another  instant 
the  man  had  entered  the  living-room,  seized  Sa 
bella  in  his  powerful  arms,  and  had  gained  the 
outer  door  on  the  side  farthest  from  the  steamboat. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer. 

Then  came  the  shock.  There  was  a  moment  of 
horrible  grinding,  crashing,  and  splintering,  a  inad 
surging  of  brown  waters,  and  then  the  little  show 
boat  passed  beneath  the  monster  that  had  crushed 
out  its  life.  It  was  gone  as  utterly  as  the  flame  of 
a  candle  is  extinguished  by  a  puff  of  wind,  and 
the  great  river  was  its  grave,  as  it  has  been  of 
thousands  of  other  craft,  and  will  be  of  thousands 
yet  unbuilt. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IS  THIS  OUR  RAPT  OR  NOT? 

So  anxious  was  Winn  Caspar  for  the  recovery 
oi  the  raft  lost  through  his  carelessness  and  over- 
confidence  in  his  own  ability  that,  having  found 
it  again,  he  could  not  bear  to  lose  sight  of  it,  even 
though  he  had  no  idea  of  how  he  might  regain  its 
possession.  Therefore,  as  he  stepped  ashore  after 
his  rebuff  by  Grimshaw,  he  only  went  so  far  up 
the  trail  through  the  timber  as  to  be  concealed 
from  the  man's  view.  Then  he  darted  into  the 
undergrowth  and  crept  back  to  the  river-bank. 
He  reached  it  just  in  time  to  see  Grimshaw  lock 
the  door  of  the  "  shanty,''  leave  the  raft,  and  start 
up  the  trail  that  he  himself  had  taken  but  a  min 
ute  before. 

How  long  would  the  man  be  gone  ?  Was  there 
any  one  left  on  the  raft  ?  These  were  the  questions 
that  came  into  the  boy's  mind.  There  was  no 
sign  of  life  on  the  Venture,  and  by  running  a  short 
distance  up  the  trail  Winn  became  convinced  that 
the  man  had  gone  at  least  as  far  as  the  edge  of 
the  timber.  Would  he  ever  again  have  so  good 


Raftmates  :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River.    217 

a  chance  of  recovering  his  father's  property? 
Besides,  what  a  fine  thing  it  would  be  for  him  to 
recapture  the  raft  alone,  without  the  aid  of  Billy 
Brackett  or  any  one  else.  This  latter  thought  de 
cided  the  boy,  and  caused  him  to  hastily  retrace  his 
steps. 

Never  had  Winn  been  so  excited !  As  he 
sprang  aboard  the  raft  and  tried  to  cast  off  its 
fastenings  he  momentarily  expected  to  hear  a 
shout  from  the  bank  or  a  gruff  demand  from  the 
interior  of  the  "  shanty  "  as  to  what  he  was  about. 
Perhaps  the  summons  would  take  the  form  of  a 
pistol-shot,  for  men  who  would  steal  a  raft  and 
destroy  a  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  wheat  would 
not  be  likely  to  hesitate  at  anything.  At  this  lasj 
thought  Winn  seemed  to  feel  the  deadly  sting  of  i 
bullet,  and  in  his  nervousness  only  made  more 
intricate  the  knot  he  was  trying  to  untie.  At 
length  he  whipped  out  his  jack-knife  and  cut  the 
rope. 

Now  to  head  the  raft  out  into  the  stream.  He 
picked  up  a  long  set-pole,  thrust  one  end  into  the 
bank,  braced  himself,  and  began  to  push.  Oh, 
how  he  strained  and  panted  !  How  the  veins  stood 
out  on  his  forehead !  Still  the  great  mass  of  tim 
ber  seemed  immovable.  Again  and  again  he  tried, 
and  at  length  felt  a  slight  yield.  A  more  desper 
ate  effort  than  before,  and  he  could  take  a  step ; 


jRaftmates : 

then  another,  and  another,  until  he  had  walked 
half  the  length  of  the  pole.  The  head  of  the  raft 
was  swinging  off,  at  first  so  slowly  that  the  motion 
was  almost  imperceptible,  then  faster,  until  fin 
ally  it  felt  the  full  force  of  the  current.  Now  for 
one  more  effort !  If  he  could  only  work  her  out 
from  the  bank  and  into  the  friendly  shelter  of  the 
fog  without  discovery,  he  would  feel  safe  even 
from  pistol-shots.  For  two  minutes  Winn  labored 
as  never  before  in  all  his  life.  But  the  minutes 
seemed  hours,  and  he  felt  that  he  might  as  well 
attempt  to  push  away  the  bank  itself  as  the  mass 
of  timber  on  which  he  stood.  Suddenly  he  heard 
that  which  he  expected  and  dreaded,  a  shout,  so 
loud  that  it  seemed  to  be  uttered  on  the  raft. 
The  set-pole  fell  from  his  nerveless  grasp  as  he 
looked  up,  fully  expecting  to  gaze  into  the  black 
muzzle  of  a  pistol. 

At  first  he  saw — nothing.  He  must  be  turned 
around.  No;  the  view  of  the  opposite  direction 
was  equally  blank.  Then,  for  an  instant,  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  shadowy  tree-tops  just  dis 
solving  into  formless  mist.  The  blessed  fog  had 
folded  its  protecting  arms  about  him,  and  he  was 
safe. 

Hurrah !  he  was  once  more  in  undisputed  posses 
sion  of  the  raft,  and  once  more  floating  on  it  down 
the  great  river. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  219 

Wildly  happy,  the  exhausted  boy  flung  him 
self  down  on  the  wet  planks,  and  yielded  to 
pleasant  reflections.  It  was  only  twenty  miles  to 
St.  Louis.  The  current  was  carrying  him  at  the 
rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  so  that  he  ought  to 
reach  the  city  soon  after  noon.  There  he  would 
hail  some  steamboat  or  tug,  and  get  it  to  tow  his 
raft  to  a  safe  mooring  -  place.  Then  he  would 
telegraph  to  both  his  father  and  his  Uncle  Billy. 
After  that  he  would  engage  some  stout  man  to 
help  guard  the  raft  until  his  friends  arrived.  Or 
perhaps  he  would  buy  a  revolver  and  guard  it 
himself,  and  when  his  father  and  Uncle  Billy  came 
along,  he  would  challenge  them  before  allowing 
them  to  step  on  board.  Yes,  that  would  be  the 
scheme,  and  the  boy  became  very  proud  of  him 
self  as  he  thought  of  the  praises  in  store  for  him. 

At  length  Winn  rose  from  his  moist  resting- 
place,  and  began  to  examine  his  surroundings. 
How  strange  the  raft  did  look,  to  be  sure.  He 
wouldn't  have  believed  its  appearance  could  have 
been  so  altered,  and  now  wondered  that  he  had 
ever  recognized  it.  In  fact,  the  only  feature  that 
seemed  at  all  familiar,  as  he  studied  it,  was  the 
forward  gable  end  of  the  "shanty."  But  some 
how  the  building  itself  appeared  much  longer  than 
when  he  last  saw  it.  Still,  there  was  that  interior. 
He  had  seen  the  partition,  with  its  door  leading 


$20  Raftmates: 

into  his  own  little  room,  and  he  never  heard  of  a 
raft  "  shanty  "  with  a  partition  in  it  until  this  one 
was  built.  He  must  have  another  look  at  that  in 
terior. 

The  locked  door  baffled  him.  It  was  of  such 
solid  construction,  and  its  lock  was  so  well  made, 
that  it  resisted  all  his  efforts  to  force  it.  The  win 
dows  were  provided  with  heavy  wooden  shutters 
that  were  fastened  on  the  inside.  For  an  hour 
Winn  busied  himself  with  vain  efforts  to  effect  an 
entrance.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  dis 
couraged.  He  was  also  uneasy.  He  had  heard 
steamboats  pass  him,  but  could  see  nothing  of  them 
on  account  of  the  fog.  The  last  one  passed  very 
close.  The  next  might  run  him  down.  How  he 
wished  the  raft  were  safely  tied  to  some  bank  or 
levee.  It  was  awful  to  be  thus  blindly  drifting, 
right  in  the  track  of  steamboats.  The  fog  hung 
so  low  over  the  water  that  their  pilots  were  lifted 
well  above  it,  and  could  see  the  landmarks  by 
which  they  were  guided.  They  could  also  see  other 
steamboats  ;  but  such  things  as  scows  and  rafts 
had  no  business  to  be  moving  at  such  a  time. 
They  were  supposed  to  be  snugly  tied  up,  and 
consequently  no  pilot  would  be  on  the  look 
out  for  them.  Winn  knew  this  as  well  as  any 
one,  and  the  knowledge  did  not  tend  to  reassure 
him. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  221 

If  he  only  had  some  one  with  him  to  help  work 
the  heavy  sweeps  by  which  the  raft's  course  might 
be  directed,  or  even  to  advise  him  what  to  do.  It 
was  dreadful  to  be  alone.  What  a  foolish  thing  he 
had  done,  after  all,  in  attempting  to  manage  this 
affair  by  himself.  If  he  had  only  gone  back  for 
Billy  Brackett.  But  his  boyish  pride  in  his  own 
ability  had  again  overcome  his  judgment,  and  now 
he  must  abide  by  the  consequences. 

"  I  only  hope,  if  I  do  get  run  down  and  killed, 
they  will  find  out  who  I  am,"  thought  the  poor 
boy.  "  It  would  be  horrid  to  disappear  and  have 
folks  say  I  was  a  coward,  who  had  run  away  for 
fear  father  would  be  angry  with  me  for  losing  his 
raft.  As  if  my  father  would  ever  do  anything  to 
make  me  afraid  of  him !  And  mother!  How  badly 
she  would  feel  if  I  should  disappear  without  ever 
giving  her  the  comfort  of  knowing  I  was  dead. 
There  is  Elta,  too,  and  the  very  last  time  I  saw  her 
I  was  ugly  to  her.  Oh  dear !  I  wish — well,  I  wish, 
for  one  thing,  that  I  could  get  inside  that  "  shanty," 
and  out  of  this  miserable  drizzle.  I  wonder  if  I 
can't  pick  the  lock  ?" 

Full  of  this  new  idea,Winn  obtained  a  bit  of  stiff 
wire  from  the  handle  of  a  lantern  that  stood  out 
side  the  "shanty."  This  he  bent  as  well  as  he 
could  into  the  rude  form  of  a  key,  and  thus 
equipped,  he  worked  patiently  at  the  lock  for 


Eaftmates  : 

another  hour.  At  length  he  threw  away  the  use 
less  implement  in  disgust. 

"  I  was  never  cut  out  for  a  burglar,  that's  cer 
tain  !"  he  exclaimed.  "  There's  one  thing  I  can 
do,  though,  and  I  will,  too.  I  can  smash  down  the 
door,  and  get  inside  that  way." 

An  axe  lay  beside  a  pile  of  wood  near  the  for 
ward  end  of  the  raft ;  arid  armed  with  this,  the  boy 
began  to  rain  vigorous  blows  upon  the  stout  door, 
Before  these  it  quickly  yielded,  and  he  thus  gained 
the  interior. 

Once  inside,  he  gazed  about  him  blankly.  Noth 
ing  looked  familiar ;  nothing  was  as  he  had  expected 
to  find  it.  There  was  the  partition,  with  a  door  in 
it,  to  be  sure,  and  there  was  the  small  room  beyond 
the  main  one;  but  there  was  also  another  parti 
tion,  and  another  door  beyond  this.  There  had 
been  but  two  rooms  in  the  Venture's  "shanty," 
while  here  were  three.  Then  again  the  "  shanty  " 
that  he  had  helped  to  build  was  only  boarded  up 
on  the  outside,  while  the  interior  had  been  left 
unceiled,  with  the  frame  exposed.  The  interior  on 
which  he  now  gazed  was  wholly  ceiled,  so  as  to 
make  the  walls  of  double  thickness,  and  conceal 
every  bit  of  the  framing. 

The  perplexed  boy  noticed  these  details  at  a 
glance ;  and  as  he  stood  staring  blankly  about  him, 
the  uncomfortable  suspicion  began  to  force  itself 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Iti/ver. 

into  his  mind  that  perhaps  this  was  not  the  Vent 
ure  after  all. 

"  If  I  have  run  off  with  some  one  else's  raft,  I 
declare  I  shall  just  want  to  disappear!"  he  ex- 
laimed  to  himself.  "  I  do  believe  I  shall  be  too 
ashamed  ever  to  go  home  again.  Oh  dear! 
There  is  another  steamboat." 

The  notes  of  a  deep-voiced  whistle,  evidently 
near  at  hand,  caused  the  boy  to  hasten  outside. 
He  could  see  a  huge  confused  mass  dimly  loom 
ing  out  of  the  fog  ahead,  and  a  little  to  one  side  of 
him.  At  the  same  moment  he  heard  the  wild 
jangling  of  bells,  the  terrified  shoutings,  and  then 
the  awful  crash  that  denoted  a  collision.  A  big 
up-bound  steamboat  had  run  down  and  sunk  a 
smaller  boat  of  some  kind.  That  much  he  could 
see,  and  he  was  filled  with  horror  at  the  nearness 
and  magnitude  of  the  disaster. 

He  had  heard  agonized  screams,  and  knew  that 
lives  had  been  sacrificed.  One  shrill  cry  that 
came  to  his  ears  with  startling  distinctness  sound 
ed  as  though  uttered  by  a  woman  or  a  girl,  and 
Winn  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  her  fate. 

The  raft  was  drifting  rapidly  away  from  the 
scene  of  the  catastrophe,  and  the  dimly  discerned 
steamboat  was  just  disappearing  from  his  view, 
when  the  boy  thought  he  heard  a  gurgling  cry 
from  the  water.  Could  some  bold  swimmer  have 


V&4  Roftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

escaped  ?  He  bent  his  head  to  the  water's  edge 
and  listened.  Again  he  heard  the  cry.  And  this 
time  it  seemed  nearer.  Some  human  being  was 
struggling  in  the  river.  Now,  if  ever,  was  the 
time  for  his  promptest  action,  and  with  Winn 
thought  and  action  went  hand  in  hand. 

In  another  moment  he  was  in  the  skiff  belong 
ing  to  the  raft,  and  pulling  with  all  the  strength 
of  his  stout  young  arms  in  the  direction  of  the 
criea. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE   RESCUE    OF    SABELLA. 

STRONGLY  as  Winn  pulled,  the  cries  grew  very 
faint  and  almost  inaudible  during  the  few  seconds 
that  elapsed  before  he  discovered  the  struggling 
forms  from  which  they  proceeded.  A  glance  over 
his  shoulder  showed  him  a  man  swimming  with 
one  arm,  while  the  other  supported  a  child — ap 
parently  a  girl. 

With  a  final  powerful  stroke  the  skiff  shot 
alongside  the  drowning  figures,  the  oars  were 
jerked  in,  and  Winn,  leaning  over  the  side,  seized 
the  girl's  arm.  At  the  same  moment  the  man 
grasped  the  gunwale  of  the  skiff.  It  was  no  slight 
task  for  Winn  to  get  the  girl  into  the  boat,  for 
she  was  unconscious,  and  formed  a  dead  weight, 
that  was  made  heavier  by  her  soaked  clothing. 
He  finally  succeeded ;  and  as  he  laid  the  limp 
form  in  the  bottom  of  the  skiff  and  took  his  first 
good  look  at  her  face,  he  uttered  a  cry  of  amaze 
ment,  and  doubted  the  evidence  of  his  senses. 
How  was  it  possible  that  Sabella  could  be  there, 
and  in  such  a  predicament?  Could  the  boat  that 


220  Raftmates  : 

had  just  been  run  into  be  the  Whatnot  f  If  so, 
who  was  this  man?  He  turned  to  look,  and  to 
help  him  into  the  skiff ;  but,  to  his  horror,  the 
man  had  disappeared. 

William  Gresham  had  redeemed  his  promise 
with  his  life.  From  a  cruel  wound,  made  by  a 
splintered  timber,  he  had  bled  so  freely  that  his 
fast-failing  strength  was  barely  able  to  hold  Sa- 
bella's  head  above  the  surface  until  Winn  came  to 
her  rescue.  He  recognized  the  boy,  and  as  the  little 
girl  was  lifted  from  his  arms,  he  closed  his  eyes 
with  the  peaceful  expression  of  one  who  is  weary 
and  would  sleep.  Then  his  grasp  of  the  skiff  re 
laxed,  and  without  a  struggle  he  slipped  across  the 
invisible  line  dividing  time  from  eternity.  The 
hurrying  waters  closed  about  him  as  gently  as  a 
mother's  arms,  and  who  shall  say  that  in  his 
death  the  man  had  not  atoned  for  his  life,  or 
that  in  the  tawny  flood  of  the  great  river  his 
sin  was  not  washed  away  as  though  it  had  never 
been? 

As  for  Winn,  he  was  overwhelmed  and  stunned. 
It  was  so  sudden,  so  terrible,  and  so  pitiful.  At 
one  moment  the  man  was  there,  and  in  the  next 
he  was  gone  without  a  word.  In  vain  did  the 
boy  look  over  both  sides  of  the  skiff  and  over  its 
stern  in  the  hope  that  the  man  might  still  be 
clinging  to  it.  Only  the  swift-flowing  waters  met 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Eiver.  227 

his  gaze,  and  seemed  to  mock  at  his  efforts  to 
wrest  their  secret. 

The  man  was  gone ;  there  was  no  doubt  of  that ; 
and  now  came  the  harrowing  question,  who  was 
he?  Winn  had  not  seen  his  face.  It  could  not 
have  been  the  owner  of  the  Whatnot,  because,  with 
his  wooden  leg,  he  could  not  swim.  It  was  not 
Solon,  for  the  head  had  been  that  of  a  white  man. 
Could  it  have  been  his  mother's  only  brother,  his 
Uncle  Billy,  the  brave,  merry  young  fellow  who 
was  to  have  been  his  raftmate?  Winn  had  al 
ready  learned  to  love  as  well  as  to  admire  Billy 
Brackett,  though  how  much  he  had  not  known, 
until  now  that  he  believed  him  to  be  gone  out  of 
his  life  forever. 

He  tried  to  believe  that  it  was  some  one  else, 
but  in  vain.  The  girl  whom  he  had  just  rescued 
was  certainly  Sabella,  so  of  course  the  boat  that 
he  had  seen  crushed  like  an  egg-shell  must  have 
been  the  Whatnot.  Oh,  if  he  had  only  been  a 
little  closer,  or  if  the  fog  had  not  been  so  thick ! 
The  boat  was  almost  certain  to  have  been  the  What 
not  though,  and  in  that  case  the  brave  swimmer, 
who  had  missed  safety  by  a  hair's-breadth  must 
have  been — 

Here  a  moan  diverted  Winn's  attention  from 
his  own  unhappiness,  and  caused  him  to  spring  to 
the  side  of  the  little  girl.  She  opened  her  eyes 


Baftmates  : 

and  looked  at  him.  "Oh,  Sabella!"  he  cried, 
"  tell  me  who  saved  you  ?  Was  it  Mr.  Brackett — 
my  Uncle  Billy,  you  know  ?" 

"  My  Uncle  Billy,"  she  murmured  faintly  ;  then 
she  again  closed  her  eyes  wearily,  and  seemed  to 
sleep. 

"  It  was  he,  then ;  it  was  he !"  And  Winn,  break 
ing  down,  sobbed  aloud.  "  And  all  my  fault  that 
he  came  on  this  trip !  My  fault,  my  fault !"  he 
repeated  over  and  over  again. 

At  length  he  became  conscious  of  the  selfishness 
of  thus  giving  way  to  his  feelings  while  Sabella 
was  still  in  such  urgent  need  of  his  aid. 

"  I  must  get  her  to  the  raft  at  once !"  he  ex 
claimed,  starting  up  and  looking  about  him.  But 
there  was  no  raft,  nor  was  there  any  steamboat. 
There  was  nothing  but  the  skiff  with  themselves 
in  it,  a  small  circle  of  brown  water,  and  the  fog. 
He  had  no  idea  of  direction,  not  even  whether  his 
skiff  was  heading  up-stream  or  down,  or  drifting 
broadside  to  the  current.  If  the  fog  would  only 
lift !  It  had  been  so  kind  to  him,  but  now  was  so 
dreadful. 

The  boy  took  off  his  coat,  folded  it,  and  put  it 
under  Sabella' s  head.  Then  he  sat  beside  her  and 
rubbed  her  cold  hands.  He  knew  of  nothing  else 
that  he  could  do  for  her,  and  so  he  waited — waited 
for  the  fog  to  lift  or  for  help  to  come. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  289 

At  length  he  began  to  hear  sounds  from  every 
direction,  the  sound  of  whistles,  bells,  and  hundreds 
of  other  noises.  He  must  have  reached  St.  Louis, 
and  it  would  never  do  to  drift  past  it.  Besides, 
the  danger  of  being  run  down  was  now  greater 
than  ever.  So  the  boy  took  to  his  oars,  and  be 
gan  to  pull  in  the  direction  from  which  the  loud 
est  sound  of  whistles  appeared  to  come. 

Suddenly  he  was  hailed.    "  Look  out  dar,  boss !" 

"  Hold  on !"  shouted  Winn.  "  I  am  in  trouble, 
and  will  give  you  a  dollar  to  pilot  me  ashore." 

A  skiff  came  alongside.  It  contained  but  a  sin 
gle  occupant,  a  negro,  who  appeared  nearly  as  old 
as  Solon.  He  listened  with  open-mouthed  won 
der  to  the  boy's  hurriedly  told  story,  and  not  only 
expressed  a  ready  sympathy,  but  promised  to  have 
"  de  young  gen'l'man  an'  der  lilly  lady  lamb  on 
de  sho'  in  free  minutes.  Ole  Clod,  him  know  de 
way.  De  frog  can't  fool  him  on  desh  yer  ribber." 

With  renewed  hope  Winn  followed  closely  be 
hind  his  dusky  pilot,  and  in  another  minute  caught 
sight  of  the  welcome  land.  It  was  East  St.  Louis, 
on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river,  at  that  time  a 
great  railroad  terminus,  and  Clod's  little  cabin 
stood  at  the  edge  of  high- water-mark ;  for  he  was 
a  boatman,  and  gained  his  living  from  the  river. 

"Now,  young  inarse,  you  mus'  come  up  to  my 
house,  whar  my  ole  'oman  fixin'  de  lilly  gal  all 


230  Raftmates  : 

right  in  no  time."  So  saying,  the  negro  lifted  Sa- 
bella  in  his  strong  arms  and  started  towards  his 
cabin,  to  which  Winn  was  only  too  glad  to  follow 
him.  The  boy  had  never  felt  so  utterly  helpless 
and  forlorn. 

He  no  longer  thought  of  taking  matters  into  his 
own  hands,  but  was  thankful  to  accept  even  the 
humble  guidance  of  this  negro.  Under  the  cir 
cumstances  he  could  not  have  fallen  into  better 
hands.  Not  only  was  Clod  strong,  willing,  and 
possessed  of  a  shrewd  knowledge  gained  by  rough 
experience,  but  his  "  ole  'ornan,"  Aunt  Yiney,  a 
motherly  soul  of  ample  proportions,  was  account 
ed  the  best  all-round  nurse  of  the  neighborhood. 
She  was  never  happier  than  when  bustling  about 
in  a  service  like  the  present ;  and  within  live 
minutes  Sabella  was  nestled  in  the  snowy  centre  of 
a  huge  bed,  with  Aunt  Yiney  crooning  over  her 
like  a  brooding  tenderness,  and  rapidly  restoring 
the  color  to  the  child's  pallid  cheeks. 

At  the  same  time  "Winn  was  sitting  by  the 
kitchen  stove  in  a  cloud  of  steam  from  his  own 
wet  clothing,  absorbing  warmth  and  comfort,  and 
relating  his  adventures  at  length  to  the  sympa 
thetic  old  man. 

Clod's  interest  and  wonder  at  the  boy's  story 
were  shown  by  uplifted  hands,  rolling  eyes,  and 
such  ejaculations  as  "  How  yo'  talk,  chile !"  "  Well, 


A  Stot^y  of  the  Great  River.  SSI 

I  nebber!"  "Dat's  so,  bress  de  Lawd!"  "Ef  dat 
ar  ain't  de  beatenest !" 

At  length  Aunt  Yiney  tiptoed  heavily  into  the 
kitchen  with  the  joyful  announcement  that  Sa- 
bella,  fully  restored  to  consciousness,  was  sleeping 
naturally  and  quietly. 

"When  she  wakin  she  be  all  right  an'  hongry, 
de  honey  lamb!  An'  I  reckin  dis  young  gen'l'- 
man  hongry  now,  an'  ef  he  ain't  he  orter  be,  fer 
eatin'  am  de  bestes  t'ing  in  de  worl'  when  yo' 
is  in  trouble,"  she  added,  as  she  bustled  softly 
about,  making  preparations  for  a  simple  meal. 

Winn  did  not  think  he  could  eat  a  mouthful,  so 
full  was  he  of  grief  and  trouble ;  but  on  making 
the  attempt,  merely  to  gratify  the  kindly  soul, 
found  that  he  not  only  could  but  did  dispose  of 
as  hearty  a  meal  of  bread  and  milk,  coffee,  bacon, 
and  sweet-potatoes,  as  any  he  had  ever  eaten  in 
his  life.  Not  only  that,  but  as  his  faintness  from 
hunger  disappeared  his  hopefulness  returned,  and 
by  the  time  he  had  finished  eating  fully  half  of 
his  troubles  had  vanished.  He  was  still  over 
whelmed  with  grief  at  the  supposed  loss  of  his 
brave  young  uncle,  but  he  had  already  resolved 
upon  a  plan  of  action,  and  felt  better  for  having 
done  so.  He  would  send  a  telegram  to  his  father 
hinting  at  the  great  sorrow  that  had  overtaken 
them,  and  asking  him  to  come  on  at  once.  Then 


Raftonates  : 

he  would  notify  the  police  of  the  collision,  with  its 
probable  loss  of  at  least  three  lives,  and  ask  them 
to  keep  a  watch  for  the  bodies.  He  would  also 
tell  them  of  the  lost  raft. 

After  great  searching,  Clod  finally  produced  an 
old  pen,  some  very  thick  ink,  and  a  few  sheets  of 
paper  quite  yellow  with  age.  Then  he  watched 
with  respectful  admiration  the  writing  of  the  tele 
gram,  for  penmanship  was  an  art  he  had  never  ac 
quired.  He  offered  to  take  the  message  to  the 
telegraph  office  while  Winn  was  preparing  a 
statement  for  the  police,  and  as  he  was  evidently 
anxious  to  be  of  service,  the  boy  allowed  him  to 
do  so. 

The  nearest  telegraph  office  was  in  the  railway 
station,  and  as  Clod  approached  it  he  found  him 
self  involved  in  the  crowd  of  passengers  just 
brought  in  by  a  newly -arrived  train  from  the 
North.  He  dodged  here  and  there  among  them, 
but  finally,  in  escaping  a  truck -load  of  baggage, 
he  stumbled  over  the  chain  by  which  a  gentleman 
was  leading  a  dog,  and  plumped  full  into  the  arms 
of  a  white-headed  negro  who  was  close  behind  it. 

"  Scuse  me,  sah  !"  began  poor  Clod,  most  polite 
ly.  Then  he  stared,  stammered,  tried  to  speak, 
but  only  choked  in  the  effort,  and  threw  his  arms 
about  the  neck  of  the  old  negro,  laughing  and  sob 
bing  in  the  same  breath. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  233 

"  Doesn't  yo'  know  me,  Solom  ?"  he  gasped. 
*4 Doesn't  yo'  know  yer  own  br'er  Clod?  Doesn't 
yo'  'member  de  ole  plantashun  'way  down  in  Lou- 
'siana,  befo'  de  wah,  an'  Clod  ? — yo'  own  br'er 
Clod  ?" 

Then  Solon  recognized  his  only  brother,  long 
mourned  as  dead,  and  the  two  old  men  embraced, 
and  wept,  and  held  each  other  off  at  arm's-length 
to  get  a  better  look  at  the  other's  changed  but  still 
familiar  face.  The  hurrying  passengers  smiled  at 
this  spectacle  at  once  so  ridiculous  and  so  pathetic, 
but  good-naturedly  made  way  for  the  old  men, 
while  Bim,  sharing  the  general  excitement,  barked 
and  danced  about,  until  his  chain  was  entangled 
with  the  legs  of  at  least  half  a  dozen  persons 
at  once. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

BEM  BRINGS  ABOUT  A  JOYFUL  MEETING. 

EVEN  with  Bim's  aid,  Billy  Brackett  failed  to 
find  the  man  who  had  escaped  him  in  Alton  by 
running  through  the  store  and  out  of  its  back 
door.  The  young  engineer  was  convinced  that  he 
was  one  of  those  who  had  stolen  the  raft,  and  it 
was  certainly  very  trying  to  recover  the  trail,  as 
he  had  just  done,  only  to  lose  it  again  immediate 
ly.  So  loath  was  he  to  abandon  the  search  that  it 
was  very  nearly  noon  before  he  did  so,  and  re 
traced  his  steps  to  the  river.  As  he  approached 
the  place  where  the  Whatnot  had  been  moored, 
he  was  surprised  not  to  see  the  boat,  and  turned 
towards  a  group  of  men,  all  of  whom  seemed  to  be 
talking  at  once,  to  make  inquiries.  At  that  mo 
ment  the  group  opened,  and  from  it  Cap'n  Cod, 
red-faced  and  anxious,  came  hastily  stumping  in 
his  direction. 

"  Where  is  the  Whatnot?"  asked  Billy  Brackett. 

"That's  what  I  want  to  know,"  replied  the 
other,  excitedly.  "  And  where  have  you  been  all 
this  time?  I  have  been  here,  and  in  a  state  of 


Raftmates:  A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  236 

mind,  for  more  than  an  hour,  not  knowing  what 
to  do.  Some  of  these  men  say  they  saw  three 
fellows  go  off  with  the  boat  soon  after  we  left 
here,  and  of  course  I  thought  they  must  be  you, 
Winn,  and  Solon ;  but  I  couldn't  understand  it  at 
all.  Now  that  you  are  here,  I  understand  it  still 
less.  Where  is  Winnf  Here  the  old  man 
paused,  quite  out  of  breath,  but  still  questioning 
his  companion  with  anxious  eyes. 

"I  haven't  seen  anything  of  Winn  since  we 
all  left  the  boat,"  replied  Billy  Brackett,  who 
could  hardly  comprehend  the  startling  informa 
tion  just  given  him.  u  Do  you  mean  to  say 
that  the  Whatnot  has  been  stolen  ?  Great  Scott ! 
I  wonder  if  those  fellows  can  have  had  a  hand 
in  it?" 

"  What  fellows  ?" 

Then  Billy  Brackett  told  of  his  fleeting  glimpse 
of  Plater,  and  of  his  consequent  belief  that  the 
raft  and  all  three  of  the  "  river-traders  "  must  be 
in  that  vicinity. 

"  There's  a  raft,  with  three  men  aboard  it,  who 
call  themselves  '  river-traders,'  moored  at  the  edge 
of  that  timber,  just  below  the  city,"  volunteered 
one  of  the  by-standers,  who  had  overheard  the 
young  man's  remarks. 

"  Will  you  go  with  me  and  point  it  out  ?"  asked 
Billy  Brackett,  eagerly. 


286  Baftmate*: 

"  Yes,  I  don't  mind,  seeing  that  this  weather 
makes  a  bit  of  slack  time,"  replied  the  man. 

So  requesting  Cap'n  Cod  to  wait  there  until 
his  return,  and  promising  to  be  back  as  quickly  as 
possible,  the  young  engineer  and  his  guide,  followed 
by  several  curiosity -seekers,  started  in  search  of 
the  raft.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  they  failed  to 
find  it,  though  another  hour  elapsed  before  Billy 
Brackett  returned.  He  was  disappointed,  but  was 
possessed  of  a  theory. 

"  1  believe  Winn  has  found  that  raft,"  he  said 
to  Cap'n  Cod,  as  they  sat  together  in  the  small 
hotel  to  which  they  had  repaired  for  a  consultation 
and  dinner.  "  But  he  probably  discovered  it  just 
as  those  fellows,  alarmed  at  meeting  me,  were 
putting  off  for  another  run  down  the  river.  Then 
he  hurried  back  here,  and  not  finding  us,  took  the 
responsibility  of  starting  after  them  in  the  What 
not,  hoping  in  that  way  to  keep  them  in  sight. 
It  was  a  crazy  performance,  though  just  such  a  one 
as  that  boy  would  undertake.  He  is  a  splendid 
fellow,  with  the  one  conspicuous  failing  of  believ 
ing  that  he  knows  what  to  do  under  any  circum 
stances  just  a  little  better  than  any  one  else.  So 
he  has  persuaded  Solon  that  it  is  their  duty  to 
keep  that  raft  in  sight  until  it  is  tied  up  again,  and 
then  he'll  telegraph  to  us.  It  is  more  than  likely 
that  the  raft  will  stop  at  St.  Louis,  in  which  case 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

they  must  be  nearly  there  by  this  time,  and  we 
ought  to  hear  from  Winn  very  soon.  That  is  my 
theory,  and  now  I'll  run  up  to  the  telegraph  office 
and  see  if  a  despatch  has  come." 

There  was  no  message  for  any  one  named 
Brackett,  and  so,  after  leaving  word  to  have  any 
thing  that  came  for  him  sent  to  the  hotel,  the 
young  man  hastened  back.  An  up-river  steam 
boat  had  just  made  fast  to  the  levee,  and  the  two 
anxious  men  went  down  to  see  if  her  pilot  had 
seen  anything  of  the  Whatawt.  As  they  approached 
they  saw  by  her  splintered  bows  that  she  had  been 
in  a  collision.  Others  had  noticed  this  also,  and 
already  a  crowd  of  people  was  gathered  about  her 
gang-plank  to  learn  the  news.  Forcing  a  way 
through  for  himself  and  Cap'n  Cod,  Billy  Brack 
ett  boarded  the  boat,  and  went  directly  to  the  Cap 
tain's  room. 

The  Captain  was  inclined  to  be  ugly  and  un 
communicative  ;  but,  with  a  happy  thought,  Billy 
Brackett  displayed  the  badge  with  which  Sheriff 
Kiley  had  provided  him.  At  sight  of  it  the  man 
at  once  expressed  his  readiness  to  impart  all  the 
information  they  might  require. 

Yes,  he  had  been  in  collision  with  a  trading- 
scow,  but  there  were  no  lives  lost,  and  the  dam 
age  had  already  been  satisfactorily  settled.  It 
happened  a  couple  of  miles  above  St.  Louis,  and 


%S8  Raftmates  : 

the  fog  was  so  thick  that  she  was  not  seen  until 
they  were  right  on  her.  She  was  crossing  the 
channel,  and  they  struck  her  amidship,  sinking 
her  almost  instantly. 

Her  name  ?  Why,  according  to  this  paper,  it 
was  the  Whatnot.  Queer  sort  of  a  name,  and  she 
looked  to  be  a  queer  sort  of  craft. 

At  this  Billy  Brackett's  face  grew  very  pale, 
while  poor  Cap'n  Cod  sank  into  a  chair  and 
groaned. 

"No  lives  lost,  you  say?  What  then  became 
of  the  people  who  were  on  board  that  trading- 
scow  V 

"  There  were  only  three,"  answered  the  Captain ; 
"her  owner,  a  Mr.  Caspar,  a  deck  hand,  and  the 
cook,  a  black  fellow.  The  first  two  saved  them 
selves  by  leaping  aboard  this  boat  just  as  she 
struck,  and  we  picked  the  nigger  up  in  the  skiff 
that  we  immediately  lowered  to  look  for  surviv 
ors." 

"  You  say  the  owner  was  a  Mr.  Caspar  ?" 

"  Yes,  here  is  the  name  signed  to  this  paper. 
You  see,  though  we  were  in  no  way  to  blame,  they 
might  have  sued  for  heavy  damages  and  bothered 
us  considerably.  So  when  her  owner  offered  to 
compromise  and  waive  all  claims  for  three  hun 
dred  dollars,  I  thought  it  was  the  cheapest  way 
out  of  the  scrape,  and  took  him  up.  I  had  this 


A  Story  of  tlie  Great  fivver.  239 

paper  prepared  by  a  lawyer  who  is  on  board,  and 
witnessed  before  a  notary,  so  that  it  is  all  square 
and  ship-shape.  See,  here  is  Mr.  Caspar's  signa 
ture." 

Sure  enough,  there  at  the  bottom  of  the  paper 
exhibited  by  the  Captain  was  the  name  "Winn 
Caspar,"  written  clearly  and  boldly.  It  certainly 
looked  like  Winn's  signature. 

Billy  Brackett  was  staggered.  What  could  it 
all  mean?  Something  was  evidently  wrong;  but 
what  it  was  he  could  not  determine. 

"  Where  is  this  Mr.  Caspar  now  ?"  he  asked. 

"Went  ashore  the  moment  we  touched  here," 
was  the  reply.  "  Said  he  must  hurry  back  to  St. 
Louis.  Took  his  man  with  him." 

"  Was  he  a  young  fellow  ;  a  mere  boy,  in  fact  ?" 

"  Oh,  bless  you,  no  !  He  was  past  middle-age. 
Small,  thin  man,  with  a  smooth  face ;  and  the 
other  was  a  big  man  with  a  beard." 

"And  what  became  of  the  cook,  the  negro, 
whom  you  rescued  ?" 

"  He's  down  below  somewhere,  getting  dry.  I 
told  the  mate  to  look  after  him." 

"  But  where  is  my  niece  Sabella  ?  The  little 
girl  that  was  on  board  the  Whatnot"  asked  Cap'n 
Cod,  with  a  pitiful  quaver  in  his  voice. 

"  Little  girl  2"  repeated  the  steamboat  Captain,  in 
surprise.  "  There  wasn't  any  girl  on  board.  This 


240  Raftmates  : 

is  the  first  mention  I  have  heard  of  any  such  per 
son,  and  Mr.  Caspar  would  surely  have  spoken  of 
her  if  she  had  existed.  What  are  you  men  driv 
ing  at,  anyway  ?" 

With  a  forced  calmness,  and  ignoring  this  ques 
tion,  Billy  Brackett  asked  if  they  might  see  the 
rescued  negro. 

"  Certainly,  I've  no  objections.  Only  you'll  have 
to  be  spry  about  it,  for  I'm  going  to  pull  out  of 
here  inside  of  a  couple  of  minutes.  I  only  stopped 
to  land  Mr.  Caspar." 

They  found  Solon  just  getting  into  his  dried 
clothing,  and  the  faithful  fellow's  face  lighted  as 
he  saw  them.  There  was,  however,  a  reproachful 
tone  in  his  voice  as  he  exclaimed,  "  T'ank  de  Lawd, 
yo'  is  safe,  Marse  Cap'n,  an'  Marse  Brack.  Ole 
Solon  feelin'  mighty  bad  when  yo'  ain't  comin'  to 
see  him,  an'  Marse  Winn  too.  But  dese  yeah 
folk  ain't  tellin'  me  nuffin  of  Missy  Sabel.  She 
gettin'  saved  same  as  de  res'  of  us,  ain't  she  ?  Say 
de  good  word,  Marse  Cap'n,  an'  don't  tell  de  ole 
man  dat  honey  lamb  done  got  drownded.  Don't 
tell  him  dat  ar?" 

There  was  no  time  for  explanations  then,  so 
they  hurried  Solon  ashore  and  up  to  the  hotel. 
There  his  replies  to  their  questions,  and  his  ques 
tions  in  turn,  only  served  to  deepen  the  mystery 
in  which  the  fate  of  the  Whatnot's  passengers 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  241 

had  become  involved.  He  could  not  be  persuaded 
that  they  had  not  been  on  board  at  the  time  of 
the  accident.  Sabella  had  been  talking  to  him  of 
what  her  "  Uncle  Billy  "  had  just  told  her  only  a 
few  minutes  before  it  occurred.  He  was  also  pos 
itive  that  Winn  had  been  on  board  the  ill-fated 
craft.  He  was  certain  that  Reward  died  at  his 
post  of  duty,  though  of  Don  Blossom's  fate  he 
knew  nothing.  How  he  himself  had  escaped  he 
could  not  explain,  for  he  remembered  nothing  after 
the  shock  of  the  collision. 

"  It  is  evident,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  at  length, 
"  that  we  must  get  to  St.  Louis  as  quickly  as  pos 
sible,  and  strive  to  unravel  this  mystery  there." 

Cap'n  Cod  agreed  that  this  seemed  the  best 
thing  to  be  done,  and  as  there  was  a  train  about 
to  leave  for  the  South,  they  hurried  to  the  station. 

As  Bim  was  forced  to  ride  in  the  baggage-car, 
and  his  master  declined  to  leave  him,  both  Cap'n 
Cod  and  Solon  rode  there  as  well.  All  three 
spent  the  hour's  run  to  East  St.  Louis  in  discuss 
ing  the  strange  occurrences  of  the  day,  and  trying 
to  discover  some  ground  for  belief  that  either 
Winn  or  Sabella,  or  both,  might  still  be  alive.  In 
this  effort  they  met  with  so  little  success  that,  by 
the  time  they  reached  their  destination,  they  had 
wellnigh  abandoned  all  hope  of  ever  again  seeing 
either  the  boy  or  girl  who  were  so  dearly  loved. 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer. 

Poor  Cap'n  Cod  was  broken-hearted,  while  Billy 
Brackett  resolutely  refused  to  think  of  the  sad 
telegram  he  must  send  back  to  Caspar's  Mill. 

If  it  had  not  been  that  Bim  compelled  them  to 
ride  in  the  baggage-car,  they  might  have  discovered 
the  two  "  river-traders,"  Grimshaw  and  Plater,  who 
were  also  on  the  train.  Bim  did  discover  them 
on  the  platform  at  East  St.  Louis,  and  he  was  in 
the  act  of  springing  towards  Mr.  Plater,  when  the 
old  negro  Clod  stumbled  over  his  chain  and  into 
Solon's  arms. 

In  his  joyful  excitement  at  this  wonderful  meet 
ing  with  the  brother  whom  he  had  never  expect- 
ed  to  see  again,  Clod  allowed  a  slip  of  paper  to 
fall  unheeded  to  the  ground,  and  Billy  Brackett 
picked  it  up.  He  glanced  carelessly  at  it,  and 
then  his  shout  of  amazement  as  he  saw  written  on 
it  the  name  "  Winn  Caspar  "  startled  not  only  his 
companions,  but  every  one  on  the  station  plat 
form. 

Two  minutes  later  four  excited  men,  accom 
panied  by  a  white  bull-dog  straining  at  his  chain 
and  barking  as  joyfully  as  though  he  understood 
the  whole  situation,  were  hurrying  with  all  speed 
in  the  direction  of  Clod's  cabin  on  the  river-bank. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

IN    CLOD'S    CABIN. 

AUNT  YINEY  heard  Bim's  joyful  voice,  and  glan 
cing  anxiously  towards  the  door  of  the  room  in 
which  Sabella  lay,  she  muttered,  "Drat  dat  ar 
dorg  !  He  eholy  wake  up  missy  wif  he  barkin'." 

The  barking  did  waken  Sabella,  and  as  she  lifted 
her  head  to  listen,  she  whispered  wonderingly  to 
herself,  "It's  Birn!  It's  dear  old  Bim.  I  know 
his  voice." 

Winn,  bending  wearily  over  the  statement  he 
was  preparing  for  the  police,  heard  the  barking, 
and  looked  up  with  a  startled  expression  on  his 
troubled  face.  "  If  I  didn't  know  that  it  couldn't 
be,  I  should  say  that  was  Bim's  bark.  Poor  old 
dog !"  he  thought. 

The  next  instant  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a 
cry.  Could  the  dead  come  to  life?  Could  the 
drowned  be  resurrected?  Could  the  handsome, 
smiling,  eager  figure  in  the  doorway  be  that  of  the 
young  uncle  whose  untimely  death  he  had  so  truly 
mourned  ?  A  quick  step,  a  joyful  shout,  and  the 
two  were  face  to  face,  with  hand  clasped  in  hand. 


244.  Itafitnates : 

"  It  has  been  a  terrible  lesson,  Uncle  Billy,  but 
I  think  I  have  learned  it,"  said  Winn. 

"  Thank  God,  my  dear  boy,  that  the  experience 
has  been  gained  so  cheaply ;  for  I  feared  it  had 
cost  you  your  life.'' 

"  But  where  is  my  little  one,  my  Sabella  ?" 
asked  Cap'n  Cod,  anxiously.  ''They  told  me  she 
was  here." 

"  Here  I  am,  Uncle  Aleck,"  came  the  dear  voice 
from  the  inner  room.  Then  there  was  another 
glad  reunion  of  those  who  had  thought  never  again 
to  meet  in  this  life ;  while  the  old  man  counted  as 
nothing  the  loss  of  all  he  had  possessed,  so  long  as 
this  child  was  left  to  him. 

When  Aunt  Yiney  was  told  who  Solon  was,  she 
made  him  a  deep  courtesy,  and  then,  with  tears 
streaming  down  her  cheeks,  she  began  to  sing : 

"  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  ; 
Praise  Him  all  creatures  here  below. 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host ; 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

Before  she  finished  the  first  line  they  were  all 
singing  with  her,  and  never  did  this  grand  old 
hymn  of  thanksgiving  find  a  more  fervent  utter 
ance. 

As  for  Bim,  there  never  was  a  happier  bull-dog 
in  this  world.  He  barked  as  long  as  his  voice  held 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Rwer.  245 

out,  and  jumped  up  on  every  one,  and  tore  wildly 
about  the  room  until  his  chain  fastened  itself  to  a 
table  leg.  Then,  with  a  few  spoke-like  revolu 
tions,  he  became  completely  wound  up,  and  lay 
panting  on  the  floor,  only  waiting  to  be  released 
that  he  might  again  go  through  with  the  entire 
performance. 

After  comparative  quiet  had  been  restored, 
though  every  one  was  still  talking  at  once,  the 
questions  arose,  "  Who  saved  Sabella  ?  Was  any 
one  drowned?  If  so,  who  was  it?  Did  Winn 
bring  the  Whatnot  down  the  river  ?  If  not,  how 
did  he  reach  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe  ?  How 
did  the  boy's  signature  happen  to  be  attached  to 
the  paper  in  possession  of  the  steamboat  Captain  ? 
These  and  a  dozen  other  questions  were  asked  in 
a  breath,  and  then  all  began  to  answer  them  at 
once.  Finally,  Billy  Brackett  called  the  meeting 
to  order,  and  asked  each  one  to  tell  his  story  in 
turn,  beginning  with  Cap'n  Cod. 

The  most  interesting  stories,  and  those  throwing 
the  most  light  on  the  situation,  were  Winn's  and 
Sabella's.  At  first  they  were  all  puzzled  to  know 
who  Mr.  Gresham  could  have  been.  Then  Sabella 
said,  "  Why,  don't  you  know,  Uncle  Aleck  ?  He 
was  the  one  who  sold  you  the  canoe,  and  the  one 
Winn  said  was  a  bad  man.  He  brought  Don 
Blossom  back,  and  I  told  him  all  about  Mr.  Brack- 


Raftmates  : 

ett  and  Winn  and  the  raft  and  everything,  and 
he  was  so  glad  he  started  right  off  to  find  them. 
Then  he  came  back  with  two  other  men,  and  said 
you  were  all  on  the  raft,  and  they  borrowed  the 
Whatnot  to  go  and  find  you  with.  He  was  one  of 
the  very  nicest  and  kindest  and  best  men  I  ever 
knew,  and  was  going  to  be  my  '  Uncle  Billy,'  so 
I  could  have  one  as  well  as  Winn,  and  now  he's 
drowned,  and — " 

Here  the  little  girl  began  to  sob  bitterly,  while 
Billy  Brackett  and  Winn  and  Cap'n  Cod  looked 
at  each  other,  and  almost  simultaneously  pro 
nounced  the  name  "  Gilder." 

They  did  not  speak  it  very  loud,  for  the  last 
splendid  act  of  the  man's  life  had  won  for  him  the 
right  to  an  unstained  name.  Hereafter  they  would 
only  remember  him  as  William  Gresham  the  hero. 

Thus  was  cleared  up  most  of  the  mystery  that, 
like  the  fog,  had  enveloped  the  proceedings  of 
that  memorable  day. 

Now  what  was  to  be  done  next  ?  Where  was 
the  raft,  and  was  it  the  Venture  or  not  ?  At  one 
moment  Winn  was  certain  that  it  was,  while  the 
next  found  him  again  doubtful. 

At  length  it  was  decided  that  Solon  should  re 
main  with  his  brother  for  the  present,  while  the 
others  should  go  to  a  hotel  in  the  city  across  the 
river.  From  there  Billy  Brackett  would  telegraph 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  247 

to  the  authorities  of  towns  farther  down,  asking 
them  to  watch  for  an  abandoned  raft,  and  if  they 
found  it  to  hold  it  until  he  could  go  on  and  prove 
ownership.  The  raft  being  described  as  belonging 
to  a  Major  Caspar,  Winn's  name  was  signed  to  all 
these  despatches,  in  order  to  prevent  confusion. 

From  the  hotel  Billy  Brackett  also  thought  it 
best  to  telegraph  Major  Caspar  of  their  safe  arrival 
in  St.  Louis,  though,  as  they  had  not  yet  recovered 
the  raft,  it  would  be  unnecessary  for  him  to  come 
on,  and  a  promise  to  write  full  particulars  at  once. 
In  the  Major's  absence  from  home  this  despatch 
was  opened  by  Mrs.  Caspar,  who  had  been  grow 
ing  very  anxious  of  late  concerning  the  voyagers 
on  the  great  river.  The  moment  she  read  it  she 
sat  down  and  wrote  another  despatch  to  her  hus 
band,  who  was  in  Chicago.  It  was  : 

"  Raftmates  in  St.  Louis.  Southern  Hotel. 
Please  join  them  immediately." 

"Just  ten  words,"  she  said  to  herself,  with  a 
complacent  sigh,  as  she  handed  this  to  the  waiting 
messenger.  "  Now  if  John  acts  promptly,  he  may 
catch  those  crazy  boys  before  they  have  the  chance 
to  start  off  on  any  other  absurd  expedition.  I  only 
hope  to  goodness  that  he'll  have  the  sense  to  bring 
them  home,  and  let  that  wretched  raft  drift  where 
ifclikea" 


248  Eaftmates  : 

Major  Caspar  could  not  start  for  St.  Louis  the 
next  day,  but  he  did  so  on  the  following  morning, 
and  late  that  same  evening  he  walked  into  the 
office  of  the  Southern  Hotel.  He  was  beginning 
to  make  inquiries  at  the  desk,  when  his  hand  was 
seized  and  violently  shaken.  Turning  quickly,  he 
at  once  recognized  his  faithful  old  army  friend 
Cap'n  Cod,  and  gave  him  a  cordial  greeting. 

"  But  where  are  the  others  ?"  he  inquired  at 
length. 

"  Gone  down  the  river  an  hour  ago,  by  the  Short 
Line,"  was  the  unexpected  reply.  "  You  see,  we 
only  got  word  this  evening  that  an  abandoned  raft, 
answering  our  description,  had  just  been  picked  up 
near  Cairo,  and  Mr.  Brackett  thought  it  best  that 
he  and  Winn  should  go  on  at  once  to  indentify  it. 
It  was  also  decided  that  Sabella  and  I  should  remain 
here  until  we  heard  from  them,  because  it  might 
not  be  the  Venture,  you  know,  and  then  I'm  not 
sure  that  we  want  to  go  any  farther  down  the 
river,  anyway.  You  see,  since  losing  the  Whatnot, 
I've  rather  lost  interest — " 

"  Losing  the  Whatnot  /"  interrupted  the  Major. 
"  What  do  you  mean  2" 

"Why,  haven't  you  heard?"  Then  they  sat 
down,  and  the  old  man  related  all  that  had  hap 
pened  to  the  Whatnot  and  her  passengers  since 
leaving  Dnbuque. 


A  Story  of  ifie  Great  River. 

When  the  recital  was  ended,  the  Major  drew  a 
long  breath,  and  exclaimed,  "  Well,  for  mysterious 
happenings,  incidents,  and  rapid  changes  of  scene, 
that  beats  anything  in  the  line  of  Mississippi  raft' 
ing  that  ever  I  heard  of.  So  now  they  are  off  again, 
and  goodness  knows  what  scrapes  they  will  get 
into  next ;  while  here  I  am,  as  helpless  to  prevent 
them  as  an  old  hen  with  a  brood  of  ducklings. 
There  is  one  thing  I  can  do.  though.  I  must  re 
turn  to  Caspar's  Mill  at  once,  and  I  want  you  and 
your  niece  to  go  with  me.  With  my  recently  in 
creased  business,  I  need  just  such  a  man  as  you  to 
look  after  my  home  interests,  while  my  daughter 
Elta,  needs  just  such  a  girl  as  your  Sabella  is 
described  to  be  for  a  companion." 

Tears  stood  in  the  old  soldier's  eyes  as  he  real 
ized  all  that  this  offer  meant  to  him  and  to  the 
girl  who  was  so  dear  to  him ;  and,  in  accepting  it, 
he  blessed  the  kindly  heart  by  which  it  had  been 
prompted. 

The  Major  sent  a  despatch  to  the  address  in 
Cairo  left  by  Billy  Brackett,  directing  that  young 
man  to  dispose  of  the  raft  as  he  thought  best,  to 
take  care  of  Winn,  come  home  as  soon  as  they 
could,  and  telling  of  his  plans  for  Cap'n  Cod  and 
Sabella.  He  also  telegraphed  to  Mrs.  Caspar  that 
he  should  be  at  home  the  next  day  but  one,  bring 
ing  strangers  with  him. 


960  Raftmates : 

She,  of  course,  thought  he  meant  the  "  raft 
mates,"  as  she  had  called  Winn  and  Billy  Brackett 
from  the  first,  and  was  amazed  to  see  an  old  man 
and  a  young  girl  seated  in  the  carriage  with  her 
husband  as  it  drove  up  to  the  house.  At  first  she 
was  greatly  disappointed,  but  within  a  few  days 
she  became  reconciled  to  the  new  arrangement,  for 
she  could  not  help  loving  the  gentle  old  man  who 
was  so  fond  of  her  boy,  nor  rejoicing  in  the  warm 
friendship  that  almost  immediately  sprang  up  be 
tween  Elta  and  Sabella. 

In  the  mean  time  Billy  Brackett  and  Winn 
reached  Cairo  early  in  the  morning,  and  after 
breakfast  at  a  hotel,  they  called  on  the  City  Mar 
shal,  who  had  sent  the  despatch  relating  to  the 
raft.  To  their  surprise,  he  received  them  coldly, 
and  informed  them  that  Mr.  Caspar  had  already 
been  there,  had  expressed  his  willingness  to  pay 
a  hundred  dollars  reward  for  the  recovery  of  his 
raft,  and  had  just  gone  down  to  take  possession 
of  it. 

This  was  an  astounding  bit  of  information,  and 
Winn  was  about  to  let  his  rapidly  rising  indigna 
tion  break  forth,  when  Billy  Brackett  restrained 
him,  and  asked,  mildly,  if  the  Marshal  had  any  ob 
jections  to  their  looking  at  the  raft  in  question 
simply  to  gratify  their  curiosity. 

"  Oh  no.     You  can  look  at  her  as  much  as  you 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Biver.  251 

like,  and  you  will  find  her  just  around  the  point 
there,  in  possession  of  the  two  young  men  who 
picked  her  up — that  is,  if  they  haven't  already 
turned  her  over  to  her  rightful  owner." 

Again  Winn  would  have  exploded,  but  again  his 
companion  restrained  him,  at  the  same  time  leading 
him  from  the  office. 

They  found  the  raft  without  much  difficulty,  and 
walked  on  board.  Just  then  the  broken  door  of  the 
"  shanty "  opened,  and  two  young  fellows,  hardly 
older  than  Winn,  stepped  out.  As  they  did  so  one 
of  them  turned  and  said,  politely,  "  Well,  good-bye, 
and  a  pleasant  voyage  to  you,  Mr.  Caspar."  Then 
they  both  faced  the  new-comers. 

Such  an  expression  of  blank  amazement  as 
flashed  over  their  faces  Winn  thought  he  had 
never  seen.  For  an  instant  they  stood  spellbound. 
Then  there  was  a  yell  of  recognition,  or  rather  a 
chorus  of  yells  from  both  sides. 

"  Billy  Brackett,  as  I'm  a  sinner !  Whoop !  Hoo 
ray  for  the  Baldheads  and  the  Second  Division!" 

"  Billy  Brackett,  or  his  ghost !" 

"Glen  Eddy!  Grip,  old  man!  How?  When? 
Where?  Why? 

"'Oh,  gimminy  crack,  come  hold  me  tight. 

It  makes  me  laugh  and  shout. 
It  fills  my  heart  with  gay  delight 
When—' " 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

CAMPMATES  TURN  RAPTMATBS. 

"  Wow  wow  w-o-w-w  I"  howled  Bim,  with  his 
ridiculous  nose  uplifted  and  a  most  melancholy 
expression  of  countenance.  He  felt  in  duty  bound 
to  accompany  his  master's  singing,  but  on  this  oc 
casion,  at  least,  he  brought  it  to  a  sudden  conclu 
sion,  for  no  one  could  possibly  sing  in  face  of  the 
uproarious  laughter  that  greeted  his  outburst. 

"  That's  always  the  way,"  remarked  Billy  Brack- 
ett,  with  a  comical  expression.  "  I  never  am  al 
lowed  to  prove  what  I  am  really  capable  of  in  the 
vocal  line.  But  what  are  you  boys  doing  here? 
Where  did  you  come  from,  where  are  you  going, 
and  how  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  obscure  and 
remarkable  do  you  happen  to  be  on  board  our 
raft?" 

"Your  raft?"  echoed  Glen  Elting.  "What  do 
you  mean  by  your  raft  ?  We  called  it  our  raft 
until  a  few  minutes  ago,  and  now  we  call  it  Mr. 
Caspar's  raft." 

"  Yes,  I  know.  Major  Caspar's  raft.  But  it's 
all  the  same  as  ours,  for  I  am  his  brother-in-law, 


Raftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  jRwer.    253 

and  have  his  written  authority  to  dispose  of  it  as  I 
see  fit.  Besides,  this  is  his  son,  and  we  have  been 
hunting  this  raft  for  the  best  part  of  a  month.  By- 
the  -  way,  Winn,  these  are  two  old,  or  Irather  two 
young,  campmates  of  mine,  Mr.  Glen  Eddy — I  mean 
Matherson  ;  no,  I  beg  pardon — Elting  is  the  name 
at  present,  I  believe." 

"Do  you  know  him  intimately?"  interrupted 
Winn,  slyly. 

Billy  Brackett  made  a  dive  at  the  boy,  but  as 
the  latter  leaped  nimbly  aside,  he  continued :  "And 
Mr.  Binney  Gibbs,  popularly  known  as  *  Grip.' 
Gentlemen,  this  impudent  young  vil-ly-an  is  my 
nephew,  Mr.  Winn  Caspar." 

Instead  of  acknowledging  this  introduction,  Glen 
and  Binney  looked  curiously  at  each  other.  Then 
the  former  said,  "There  seems  to  be  something 
wrong  here,  Billy,  for  we  have  just  turned  this 
raft  over  to  its  owner,  Mr.  Winn  Caspar,  and  he  is 
in  the  house  here  at  this  moment." 

"That's  all  right,"  replied  Billy  Brackett.  "I 
rather  expected  to  find  that  gentleman  here,  and 
now  we  will  go  inside  for  an  interview  with  him." 
So  saying,  he  tried  to  open  the  door,  but  found  it 
fastened.  In  spite  of  its  splintered  condition,  it 
was  secured  so  firmly  that  it  took  them  several 
minutes  to  force  it  open.  When  this  was  accom 
plished,  and  an  entrance  was  effected,  the  four 


854.  Rafimates : 

gazed  blankly  about  them  and  at  each  other.  The 
large  room  was  empty.  So  were  the  two  smaller 
ones  beyond,  while  an  open  window  in  the  last 
showed  the  manner  in  which  Messrs.  Plater  and 
Grimshaw  had  effected  their  escape. 

"It's  too  bad,"  said  Billy  Brackett;  "for  having 
had  several  interesting  interviews  with  those  gen 
tlemen,  I  should  have  been  glad  of  another.  I 
think  Winn  would  have  been  pleased  to  meet  his 
namesake  too." 

"  Indeed  I  should,"  replied  the  boy.  "  I'd  like 
to  collect  rent  for  the  use  of  my  signature,  and  find 
out  where  he  learned  to  copy  it  so  perfectly." 

"  But  I  don't  understand  all  this  at  all,"  said 
Glen  Siting.  "If  this  raft  isn't  theirs,  why  did 
they  want  it  badly  enough  to  pay  three  hundred 
dollars  reward  for  its  recovery  ?" 

"  Whom  did  they  pay  it  to  ?"  asked  Billy  Brack 
ett. 

"  A  hundred  to  the  City  Marshal,  and  a  hundred 
each  to  Binney  and  me.  We  didn't  want  to  take 
it,  but  they  insisted,  and  said  they  should  feel  hurt 
if  we  refused.  So,  of  course,  rather  than  hurt 
their  feelings —  But  really,  Billy,  they  are  most 
gentlemanly  fellows,  and  I  think  behaved  very 
handsomely." 

"  Will  you  let  me  see  the  hundred  dollars  they 
gave  you  ?"  asked  the  young  engineer. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  256 

"Certainly,"  replied  Glen,  with  an  air  of  sur 
prise,  and  adding,  rather  stiffly,  "though  I  didn't 
think,  Billy,  that  you  would  require  proof  of  mj 
truthfulness." 

"  I  don't,  my  dear  boy,  I  don't !''  exclaimed 
Billy  Brackett.  "  I  would  believe  your  unsup 
ported  word  quicker  than  the  sworn  statement  of 
most  men.  I  want  to  look  at  that  money  for  a 
very  different  purpose." 

So  a  roll  of  brand-new  bills  was  handed  to  him, 
and  he  examined  them  one  by  one  with  the  utmost 
care. 

"  There  are  two  hundred  dollars  here,"  he  said 
at  length.  "Is  this  Binney's  share  of  the  reward  as 
well  as  your  own?" 

"  No.  I  had  a  hundred-dollar  bill,  and  Mr.  Cas 
par  seeing  it,  asked  if  I  would  mind  taking  small 
bills  for  it,  as  he  wanted  one  of  that  amount 
to  send  off  by  mail ;  so,  of  course,  I  let  him 
have  it." 

"  Oh,  my  children !  my  children !"  murmured 
Billy  Brackett,  "why  will  you  persist  in  attempt 
ing  to  travel  through  this  wicked  world  without  a 
guardian  ?  Of  all  the  scrapes  from  which  I  have 
been  called  to  rescue  you,  this  might  have  proved 
the  most  serious." 

"  I  don't  see  how,"  said  both  Glen  and  Binney. 

Winn  knew,  and  he  smiled  a  little  self-compla- 


266  JKa/imates  : 

cent  smile  as  he  reflected,  "  This  is  a  little  worse 
than  any  mess  I  ever  got  into." 

"  You  would  have  seen  quickly  enough  if  you 
had  tried  to  spend  this  money,"  said  Billy  Brackett, 
"for  you  would  undoubtedly  have  been  arrested 
on  the  charge  of  counterfeiting.  Those  same  fel 
lows  put  Winn  here  in  that  fix  a  short  time 
since,  besides  getting  away  with  a  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  wheat  that  he  had  in  charge,  and  now  they 
have  come  very  near  serving  you  the  same  trick." 

Here  Winn's  smile  faded  away  rather  suddenly, 
while  Glen  exclaimed, 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  these  bills  are  counter 
feit?" 

"I  do,"  replied  Billy  Brackett;  "and  if  you 
doubt  it,  take  them  to  the  first  bank  you  come 
across  and  ask  the  cashier." 

"But  the  City  Marshal  took  some  just  like 
them,"  argued  Glen,  catching  at  the  only  straw  of 
hope  in  sight. 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  the  City  Marshal,  and 
I  for  one  shall  let  him  suffer  the  consequences. 
He  had  no  business  to  accept  a  reward  for  per 
forming  a  simple  act  of  duty,  in  the  first  place; 
and  in  the  second,  the  readiness  with  which  he 
delivered  this  raft  to  the  first  claimants  who  came 
along  makes  it  look  very  much  as  though  he  could 
be  bribed." 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

"  Well,"  said  Glen,  in  a  despairing  tone,  "  if 
what  yon  say  is  true,  and  I  know  it  must  be,  we 
Are  in  a  fix.  That  hundred  dollars  was  to  pay  our 
expenses  to  New  Orleans ;  now  I  don't  know  how 
we  shall  get  there." 

"  New  Orleans !  Are  you  bound  for  New  Or 
leans  r 

"  Yes,  and  that's  how  we  happened  to  be  here, 
and  to  find  this  raft.  You  see,  my  father,  General 
Elting,  you  know,  is  going  to  Central  America  to 
make  a  survey  for  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  and  Bin- 
ney  and  I  are  to  go  with  him.  The  party  is  to 
sail  from  New  Orleans  some  time  in  January,  but 
he  had  to  go  to  New  York  first.  As  there  were  a 
lot  of  instruments  and  heavy  things  to  be  sent  to 
New  Orleans,  he  thought  it  best  to  ship  them  by 
boat ;  and  as  we  wanted  to  take  the  river  trip,  he 
let  us  come  in  charge  of  them.  We  knew  we 
should  have  to  transfer  from  the  Ohio  River  boat 
at  this  point,  but  we  didn't  know  until  we  got 
here  that  we  must  wait  three  days  for  the  New 
Orleans  packet.  As  there  wasn't  anything  else  to 
do,  we  have  put  in  the  time  hunting  and  fishing, 
and  last  evening  we  ran  across  this  abandoned 
raft  about  a  mile  up  the  Mississippi.  We  had 
a  time  getting  it  in  here,  I  can  tell  you.  When 
we  did,  and  reported  it  to  the  City  Marshal,  he 
showed  us  a  telegram  from  a  Mr.  Winn  Caspar, 


258  Raftmates: 

asking  Mm  to  look  out  for  just  such  a  raft.  We 
knew  this  must  be  the  one,  for  we  had  found 
this  book  lying  on  the  table,  with  the  name 
'Winn  Caspar'  written  all  over  the  fly-leaf,  as 
though  some  one  had  been  practising  the  signa 
ture.  Sure  enough,  a  man  who  said  his  name  was 
*  Winn  Caspar'  turned  up  this  morning,  bringing 
a  friend  with  him.  They  told  a  straight  enough 
story  of  how  their  raft  had  been  stolen  near  St. 
Louis,  and  described  it  perfectly.  They  even  de 
scribed  the  interior  of  this  "  shanty  "  and  every 
thing  in  it,  including  this  identical  book,  as  though 
they  had  lived  here  all  their  lives.  So,  of  course, 
both  the  Marshal  and  we  thought  it  was  all  right ; 
and  I  don't  see  even  now,  if  this  is  your  raft,  how 
those  fellows  knew  all  about  it  as  they  did.  The 
only  thing  they  slipped  up  on  was  the  broken  door, 
and  they  owned  they  couldn't  account  for  that.  It 
seems  as  if  some  one  must  have  boarded  the 
raft  before  we  did  and  broken  into  the  "shanty." 
The  men  said  tnere  wasn't  anything  missing, 
though.  Perhaps  you  can  tell  us  what  has  been 
stolen." 

u  No,"  replied  Billy  Brackett,  "  I  can't  tell  that, 
but  I  can  tell  who  broke  in  that  door.  I  can  also 
relate  a  tale  of  adventure  and  misadventure  in  con 
nection  with  this  raft  that  would  excite  the  envy 
of  any  member  of  the  Second  Division,  including 


A  Story  of  ike  Great  River.  259 

even  the  Baldheads,  and  you,  who  were  the  most 
reckless  young  scapegrace  of  the  lot." 

Whereupon  the  young  engineer  told  these  inter 
ested  listeners  the  whole  history  of  the  Venture 
from  the  time  the  raft  was  put  together  down  to 
the  present  moment.  In  it  he  included  the  What 
not,  Cap'n  Cod,  Sabella,  Solon,  Keward,  and  Don 
Blossom,  Sheriff  Kiley,  the  "  river-traders,"  Clod, 
Aunt  Yiney,  and,  above  all,  Bim,  who  barked  loud 
ly,  and  rushed  wildly  about  the  room  at  this  honor 
able  mention  of  his  name. 

When  the  story  was  finished,  Glen  Elting  heaved 
a  deep  sigh,  and  said  to  Winn,  "  Well,  you  h(we 
had  a  good  time.  I  thought  we  had  about  the  best 
times  any  fellows  could  have  when  we  crossed  the 
plains  with  Billy  Braekett  last  year,  but  it  seems  to 
me  that  you  are  having  just  about  as  much  fun 
right  here  on  this  muddy  old  river  as  we  had  out 
there.  I  only  wish  we  had  a  raft."  Then  turning 
to  Billy  Brackett,  he  asked,  "  What  are  you  going 
to  do  next?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  was  the  reply.  "  What  are 
you  going  to  do  ?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

"  Then  lend  me  your  ears.  You  want  to  get  to 
New  Orleans,  and  so  do  we." 

"  Do  we  ?"  interrupted  Winn,  in  surprise,  look 
ing  up  from  the  book  of  travels  on  the  title-page 


260  Eaftonates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Elver. 

of  which  his  name  was  written  so  many  times,  and 
which  was  the  very  one  he  had  been  reading  the 
last  evening  he  had  spent  on  this  raft. 

"  You  do !"  exclaimed  both  Glen  and  Binney. 

"  Certainly,"  was  the  calm  reply.  "It  is  the 
only  market  for  timber  rafts  that  I  know  of 
south  of  St.  Louis,  and  as  we  can't  go  back,  we  are 
bound  to  go  ahead.  So,  as  I  was  saying  when 
rudely  interrupted,  both  you  and  we  want  to  go  to 
New  Orleans.  You  have  no  money — real  money, 
I  mean — with  which  to  get  there,  and  we  need  at 
least  two  extra  pair  of  hands  to  help  us  get  this 
raft  there.  So  why  not  ship  your  stuff  on  board 
here,  and  help  us  navigate  this  craft  to  our  com 
mon  destination  ?" 

"  Do  you  truly  mean  it,  Billy  Brackett  f  * 

"  I  truly  mean  it.  And  if  you  are  willing  to 
go  as  raftmates  with  us — " 

"  Are  we  willing  ?  Well,  I  should  smile !  Are 
we  willing  ?  Why,  Billy  Brackett,  we'd  rather  go 
to  New  Orleans  as  raftmates  with  you  and  Winn 
Caspar  than  to  do  anything  else  in  the  whole 
world  just  at  present.  *  Eh,  Grip  ?'  " 

"  Well,  rather  !"  answered  Binney  Gibba. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  "RIVER- TRADERS"  ATTEMPT  TO  REGAIN   POSSESSION. 

So  it  was  settled  that  the  three  who  had  been 
campmates  together  on  the  plains  should  now, 
with  Winn  Caspar  to  complete  the  quartet,  be 
come  raftmates  on  a  voyage  of  nearly  a  thousand 
miles  down  the  great  river.  It  is  hard  to  say 
which  of  the  four  was  happiest  during  the  busy 
day  that  followed  the  making  of  this  arrangement. 
Winn  was  overjoyed  at  recovering  the  raft  lost 
through  his  over-confidence  in  his  own  wisdom, 
and  at  the  prospect  of  taking  a  trip  so  much  longer 
than  he  had  anticipated  at  the  outset.  He  had  also 
conceived  a  great  fancy  for  the  two  manly  young 
fellows  whose  fortunes  had  become  so  strangely 
connected  with  those  of  the  Venture,  and  was  glad 
they  were  to  be  his  companions  on  the  voyage. 

Billy  Brackett  was  not  only  rejoiced  that  he  had 
at  length  been  successful  in  finding  both  Winn 
and  the  raft,  but  was  delighted  to  meet  again  those 
with  whom  he  had  already  shared  so  much  of  peril 
and  pleasure.  That  they  had  again  become  his 
mates  in  such  a  peculiar  manner,  and  amid  such 


Eaftmates : 

different  scenes,  was  proof,  as  he  quaintly  ex« 
pressed  it,  that  "  Truth  can  give  the  most  ex< 
pert  fiction  points,  and  still  beat  it  at  its  own 
game." 

Glen  and  Binney  were  raised  from  a  depth  of 
dismay,  caused  by  the  loss  of  their  money  and 
the  resulting  predicament  into  which  they  were 
thrown,  to  a  height  of  felicity  at  the  prospect  of  a 
raft  voyage  down  the  Mississippi,  under  the  lead 
ership  of  their  beloved  campmate,  Billy  Brackett. 
They  also  liked  Winn  ;  and,  judging  from  what 
had  already  happened  to  him,  regarded  him  as  a 
boy  in  whose  company  a  variety  of  adventures 
might  reasonably  be  hoped  for. 

Owing  to  their  past  experience  with  the  "river- 
traders,"  Billy  Brackett  and  Winn  were  somewhat 
uneasy  at  the  presence  of  Grimshaw  and  Plater  in 
town,  and  their  manifest  desire  to  regain  posses 
sion  of  the  raft.  They  were  puzzled  by  this,  and 
wondered  what  reason  the  men  could  still  have 
for  wanting  the  raft.  Certainly  their  connection 
with  it  was  now  too  well  known  for  them  to  hope  to 
make  any  further  use  of  it  in  pursuing  their  un 
lawful  business.  Nor  did  it  seem  likely  that  they 
would  choose  it  merely  as  a  conveyance  down  the 
river.  No ;  it  must  be  that  they  had  hoped  to 
sell  the  Venture,  and  realize  a  considerable  sum 
by  the  transaction.  This  was  the  conclusion 


A.  Story  of  tJie  Great  River. 

finally  reached  by  our  raftmates,  though  it  was  not 
one  with  which  they  were  entirely  satisfied. 

Still,  they  felt  that,  as  they  were  now  four  to  two, 
they  might  reasonably  hope  to  be  left  in  undis 
turbed  possession  of  the  raft  for  the  future,  and  so 
did  not  allow  thought  of  the  "  river-traders "  to 
trouble  them  to  any  great  extent.  They  decided 
that  two  of  them  should  stay  constantly  on  board 
the  raft,  at  least  so  long  as  they  remained  in  that 
locality,  and  that  Bim  should  also  be  added  to  the 
protective  force. 

To  begin  with,  Binney  and  Winn  remained  on 
guard  while  Billy  Brackett  and  Glen  went  into 
the  town  to  telegraph  for  Solon,  send  down  the 
instruments,  and  make  other  arrangements  for  the 
voyage.  It  had  been  decided  that  as  their  crew 
was  incomplete  without  a  cook,  Solon  should  be 
sent  for,  and  that  they  could  not  make  a  start 
until  he  arrived,  which  would  probably  be  early 
the  next  morning. 

Winn  and  Binney  found  plenty  to  occupy  them 
during  the  absence  of  the  others  in  becoming  ac 
quainted,  learning  each  other's  history,  and  arrang 
ing  the  interior  of  the  "  shanty."  From  Binney, 
Winn  learned  what  a  splendid  fellow  his  young 
uncle  was,  and  how  much  he  was  respected  as  well 
as  admired  by  all  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
counted  among  his  friends.  "He  is  a  fellow," 


Raftmates : 

concluded  Binney,  "  who  couldn't  do  a  mean  thing 
if  he  tried.  One  thing  I  like  especially  about  him 
is  that  he  is  just  as  careful  in  his  attention  to  trifles, 
if  they  come  in  the  line  of  his  duty,  as  he  is  to  big 
things,  and  Billy  has  already  had  some  pretty  im 
portant  positions  too,  I  can  tell  you.  He  is  full 
of  fun,  and  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  Second 
Division  all  the  time  they  were  crossing  the  plains. 
Glen  knows  him  better  than  I  do,  though,  because 
they  were  k  bunkies  7  together,  and  from  what  he 
has  told  me  I  regard  myself  as  mighty  lucky  to 
have  the  chance  of  taking  a  trip  in  his  company." 

"He  has  told  me  a  good  deal  about  you  and 
Glen  on  that  trip,"  said  Winn,  "  but  I  don't  re 
member  hearing  anything  about  his  own  advent 
ures." 

"  That's  just  what  makes  fellows  like  him.  He 
is  always  ready  to  listen  to  what  they  have  to  say, 
Dr  to  tell  of  anything  they  have  done,  if  it  is  worth 
telling ;  but  he  never  puts  himself  forward  as  one 
who  knows  it  all  or  has  done  it  all  and  can't  be 
taught  anything." 

This  conversation  set  Winn  to  thinking,  with 
the  result  that  in  one  instance,  at  least,  he  had 
been  too  hasty  in  his  conclusions.  He  had  been 
somewhat  ashamed  that  his  uncle  should  act  the 
part  of  showman  with  a  river  panorama,  and  had 
supposed  that  it  was  done  from  a  desire  to  display 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer. 

his  own  accomplishments.  Now  he  wondered  if, 
after  all,  this  was  not  the  one  delicate  and  unob 
trusive  way  in  which  Cap'n  Cod's  poor  little 
undertaking  could  have  been  saved  from  a  ridicu 
lous  and  mortifying  failure.  He  had  been  in 
clined  to  regard  his  young  relative  as  rather  frivo 
lous ;  but  perhaps  there  were  depths  to  Billy 
Brackett's  character  that  he  was  not  yet  wise 
enough  to  fathom.  He  would  study  it  more  care 
fully  hereafter,  and  how  doubly  thankful  he  now 
was  that  his  chance  to  do  so  had  not  been  lost 
with  the  wreck  of  the  Whatnot. 

Although  the  interior  of  the  Ventures  "  shanty  " 
still  seemed  unfamiliar  to  Winn,  he  could  no 
longer  doubt  that  the  raft  was  his  father's.  In 
the  small  room  that  he  was  to  have  occupied  he 
now  found  most  of  his  own  possessions  just  where 
he  had  left  them.  Among  the  things  that  he 
was  particularly  glad  thus  to  find  were  several 
changes  of  clothing,  of  which  he  stood  greatly  in 
need. 

The  "  shanty "  was  in  great  disorder ;  but  the 
two  boys  worked  so  faithfully  at  sweeping,  clean 
ing,  and  putting  things  to  rights,  that  by  the  time 
the  others  returned  with  a  dray-load  of  freight 
the  interior  was  thoroughly  clean  and  inviting. 
The  afternoon  was  spent  in  laying  in  a  store  of 
provisions  for  the  voyage,  repairing  the  splintered 


266  Raftmates: 

door,  and  mending  one  of  the  sweeps,  which  was 
on  the  point  of  breaking. 

By  sunset  everything  was  in  readiness  for  a 
start,  and  all  hands  were  gathered  about  the  gallej 
stove,  each  superintending  the  cooking  of  his  spe 
cialty  for  supper.  Billy  Brackett  could  make  grid 
dle-cakes,  or  "  flip-flaps,"  as  he  called  them.  He 
fried  them  in  an  iron  spider,  and  the  deftness  with 
which  he  turned  them,  by  tossing  them  in  the  air, 
so  excited  the  admiration  of  his  raftmates  that 
they  immediately  wished  to  engage  him  as  regular 
cook  for  the  trip. 

"  This  isn't  a  circumstance  to  what  I  can  do  in 
the  culinary  line,"  remarked  Billy  Brackett,  mod 
estly.  "To  know  me  at  my  best,  you  ought  r<>  be 
around  when  I  make  biscuit.  My  heavy  biscuit 
are  simply  monuments  of  the  baker's  art.  They  are 
warranted  to  withstand  any  climate,  and  defy  the 
ravaging  tooth  of  time.  They  can  turn  the  edge 
of  sarcasm,  and  have  that  quality  of  mercy  which 
endureth  forever.  A  quartz-crusher  turns  pale  at 
sight  of  them,  and  they  supply  a  permanent  filling 
for  aching  voids  or  long-felt  wants.  In  fact,  gen 
tlemen,  it  is  universally  acknowledged  that  my 
biscuit  can't  be  beat." 

"Neither  can  a  bad  egg,"  said  Glen,  who  was 
trying  to  make  an  omelet. 

"  Let  us  defer  the  biscuit  for  this  time,  and  have 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  267 

a  smoking  dish  of  corn-meal  mush  instead,"  sug 
gested  Winn.  "  It  is  one  of  the  hardest  things  in 
the  world  to  cook,  but  I  know  the  trick  to  perfec 
tion." 

"Mush,  mush,  mush,  tooral-i-addy,"  sang  Bin- 
ney.  At  that  moment  Bim  began  to  growl,  and 
to  sniff  at  the  bottom  of  the  door.  They  opened 
it  and  looked  out.  No  one  was  there,  nor  did  they 
hear  a  sound.  Darkness  had  already  set  in,  and 
they  could  see  nothing.  Bim  ran  to  the  edge  of 
the  raft,  barked  once  or  twice,  and  then  returned 
to  his  place  near  the  stove. 

"It  must  have  been  your  singing  that  excited 
him,  Grip,"  remarked  Billy  Brackett.  "  He  gen 
erally  acts  that  way  when  a  person  sings,  and  I 
have  heretofore  attributed  it  to  envy,  though  I 
don't  see  how  it  could  have  been  in  this  case." 

After  supper  Billy  Brackett  went  into  town  to 
call  on  the  telegraph  operator,  with  whom  he  had 
established  friendly  relations,  and  to  receive  some 
despatches  that  he  was  expecting.  He  had  not 
been  gone  long  before  Bim,  who  had  been  left  be 
hind,  again  began  to  show  signs  of  uneasiness,  and 
intimate  a  de&ire  to  be  let  out. 

Again  the  door  was  opened  for  him,  and  again 
he  rushed  out  into  the  darkness.  This  time  re 
treating  footsteps  and  the  rustling  of  bushes  on 
the  bank  were  distinctly  heard.  With  a  low 


268  Rafimates:  A  Story  of  ike  Or  eat  River. 

growl  Bim  sprang  ashore  and  disappeared.  The 
next  instant  the  boys  saw  a  flash  of  lantern-light  a 
few  rods  below  the  raft,  heard  a  smothered  yelp, 
the  sounds  of  a  confused  struggle,  and  a  moment 
later  a  loud  splash  in  the  water.  Then  all  was 
again  buried  in  darkness  and  silence. 

"  Something  has  happened  to  Bim !"  exclaimed 
Winn,  in  a  low  but  excited  tone,  "  and  I  am  going 
to  find  out  what  it  is."  With  this  the  boy  leaped 
ashore,  and  hurried  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  sounds  had  come. 

"It's  a  mighty  foolish  thing  to  do,  but  you 
sha'n't  go  alone,"  said  Glen  Elting,  quietly,  as  he 
started  after  Winn,  adding,  as  he  left  the  raft, 
"  You  stay  behind  and  stand  guard,  Binney." 

The  boy,  thus  suddenly  left  alone,  stood  guard 
for  about  fifteen  seconds,  when  all  at  once  two 
dark  figures  sprang  aboard  the  raft  from  the  bank, 
and  he  had  barely  time  to  utter  a  single  cry  of 
warning  before  he  was  engaged  in  a  furious  strug 
gle  with  one  of  them,  who  had  seized  him  from 
behind. 

"  Drop  him  overboard !" 

Although  the  command  was  given  in  a  low  tone, 
Binney  heard  and  understood  it.  Then  the  strong 
arms  in  which  he  was  struggling  lifted  him  as 
they  would  a  child,  and  bore  him  towards  the  edge 
of  the  raft. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

WHERE   IS    BIM? 

BILLY  BBACKETT  was  in  a  particularly  content 
ed  frame  of  mind,  and  whistled  softly  to  himself 
as  he  tramped  through  the  muddy  streets  of  one 
of  the  muddiest  cities  in  the  United  States,  tow 
ards  the  telegraph  office.  He  was  well  satisfied 
with  the  results  of  his  expedition  thus  far,  and 
with  its  prospects  of  a  successful  termination.  He 
did  not  notice  the  curious  looks  with  which  sev 
eral  persons  regarded  him  as  the  bright  light  from 
a  store  window  fell  on  his  face,  nor  would  he  have 
cared  if  he  had.  His  conscience  was  clear,  and  hc» 
had  nothing  to  fear  from  observation,  curious  01 
otherwise. 

As  he  entered  the  telegraph  office,  the  operator 
glanced  up  with  a  nod  of  recognition.  A  few 
seconds  later,  having  finished  sending  the  despatch 
with  which  he  had  been  busy,  he  turned  his  key 
over  to  an  assistant  and  said, 

"  Will  you  step  this  way  a  moment,  sir  ?  I 
wish  to  speak  to  you  in  private."  With  this 
he  led  the  way  into  a  room  behind  the  office, 


270  Raftmates  : 

where,  after  the  other  had  entered,  he  closed  the 
door. 

"What's  up?"  asked  the  young  engineer,  won 
dering  at  these  proceedings. 

"Have  you  or  any  of  your  companions  any 
counterfeit  money  in  your  possession  ?"  asked  the 
operator,  abruptly. 

"No — that  is,  yes.  One  of  my  friends  has 
quite  a  lot  of  it  that  was  passed  on  him  for  gen 
uine  this  morning,  and  I  have  a  few  samples  for 
purposes  of  comparison." 

"But  you  haven't  passed,  or  tried  to  pass,  any  of 
it  in  this  place  2" 

"  Certainly  not !  Why  do  yon  ask  such  a  ques 
tion  «" 

"  Because  I  have  taken  a  liking  to  you.  Have 
not  you  in  your  possession  a  note  of  identification 
from  a  certain  Iowa  Sheriff  ?" 

"  Yes;  I  have  such  a  note  from  a  Sheriff  named 
Riley,  of  Dubuque ;  but  how  did  you  know  any 
thing  about  it  ?"  asked  Billy  Brackett,  greatly  sur 
prised. 

"  In  a  very  simple  way.  Sheriff  Riley  happens  to 
be  my  brother,  and  he  wrote  to  me  all  about  your 
little  affair  up  the  river.  So  I  know  you  to  be 
an  honest  man,  and  want  to  give  you  a  warning. 
You  may  be  very  sure,  however,  that  I  should 
not  do  so  were  I  not  confident  of  your  innocence." 


A  Story  of  tJie  Great  Bw&r.  271 

"  Innocence  of  what  ?" 

"  Passing  counterfeit  money.  A  good  bit  of  it 
has  suddenly  appeared  in  circulation  here,  and 
your  raft  has  been  identified  by  some  men  from 
up-river  as  one  on  which  suspicion  has  already  fall 
en  in  connection  with  a  similar  state  of  affairs 
elsewhere.  You  have  made  a  good  many  purchases 
to-day,  and  at  least  one  bad  bill  has  been  traced 
directly  to  you.  Of  course  you  may  have  received 
it  in  change,  and  passed  it  again  unknowingly.  I 
believe  that  is  how  it  happened.  If  I  did  not, 
I  should  hold  my  tongue  and  let  you  suffer  the 
consequences.  In  addition  to  this,  all  sorts  of 
queer  stories  regarding  you  have  been  circulated 
about  town  to-day,  and  such  a  feeling  has  been 
aroused  against  you  that  a  number  of  the  worst 
characters  in  the  place  have  determined  to  pay 
your  raft  a  visit  to-night.  I  don't  know  what 
they  intend  doing,  nor  do  I  think  they  know 
themselves,  but  I  am  certain  if  they  find  you  the 
result  will  be  most  unpleasant.  They  are  to  be 
led  by  a  couple  of  strangers,  who  have  been  se 
cretly  watching  you  all  day.  These  men  claim  to 
be  '  river-traders,'  who  have  suffered  serious  losses 
through  you,  including  that  of  the  raft  now  in 
your  possession,  which,  they  say,  was  stolen  from 
them.  I  can't  tell  you  how  I  gained  all  this  in 
formation,  but  it  is  at  your  disposal.  If  I  were  in 


BaftonaUs: 

your  place,  I  would  take  advantage  of  the  dark 
ness  to  drop  down  the  river,  and  I  wouldn't  lose 
any  time  about  it  either." 

"  You  advise  me  to  run  away  like  a  coward,  in 
stead  of  remaining  to  defend  myself  against  these 
abominable  and  absolutely  unfounded  charges !" 
exclaimed  Billy  Brackett,  indignantly.  "  I  shall  do 
nothing  of  the  kind." 

"  Not  '  run  away ;'  simply  continue  your  voyage 
before  it  is  unpleasantly  interrupted,"  returned  the 
other,  with  a  smile.  "  If  you  remain  until  morn 
ing,  your  raft,  with  its  contents,  will  certainly  be 
destroyed  by  an  unreasoning  mob,  at  whose  hands 
you  and  your  companions  may  suffer  bodily  injury. 
In  this  case  action  would  come  first  and  inquiry 
afterwards.  I  am  convinced  you  could  easily 
prove  your  innocence,  but  doubt  if  you  could  ob 
tain  any  redress  for  the  losses  you  would  have  suf 
fered  in  the  mean  time.  Now  I  must  get  back  to 
my  desk.  You  will  of  course  act  as  you  think 
best,  but  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  accept  my 
advice,  and  decide  that  an  honorable  retreat  is  bet 
ter  than  a  lost  battle." 

"  But  there  is  Solon,  the  man  whom  I  tele 
graphed  to  join  us  here.  I  don't  expect  him  be 
fore  morning." 

"  Why,  he  is  here  already  !  Haven't  you  met 
him  ?  He  arrived  on  the  evening  train,  and  came 


^L  Story  of  the  Great  River.  273 

in  here  to  inquire  where  you  could  be  found.  I 
gave  him  directions,  and  started  him  off  not  fifteen 
minutes  ago." 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  managed  it,"  said  Billy 
Brackett,  who  had  been  thinking  rapidly  while  the 
other  spoke ;  "  but  if  he  is  already  on  board  there 
is  no  reason  why  our  departure  should  be  delayed. 
Therefore  I  am  almost  inclined  to  accept  your  ad 
vice,  for  which,  as  well  as  for  your  timely  warning, 
I  am  sincerely  grateful.  I  will,  at  any  rate,  get 
back  to  the  raft  at  once." 

With  this  the  young  man  shook  hands  with  the 
operator,  and  left  the  office. 

"  There !"  exclaimed  the  other,  looking  after 
him  with  a  relieved  sigh ;  "  I  believe  I  have  done 
that  young  fellow  a  good  turn.  At  the  same  time 
I  have  given  myself  a  chance  to  capture  the  thou 
sand-dollar  reward  that  Ned  wrote  about,  and 
which  I  was  afraid  this  chap  was  after  for  him 
self." 

As  for  Billy  Brackett,  the  more  he  reflected  upon 
the  situation,  as  he  hastened  towards  the  place 
where  the  raft  was  moored,  the  more  puzzled  he 
became  as  to  what  course  he  ought  to  pursue.  He 
now  had  not  only  Winn,  the  raft,  and  himself  to 
consider,  but  Glen  and  Binney,  and  the  valuable 
instruments  belonging  to  General  Elting.  Cer 
tainly  it  would  not  do  to  allow  these  to  fall  into 


$74  Rafftnate*: 

the  hands  of  an  excited  and  irresponsible  inob. 
Still,  the  thought  of  running  away  was  hateful. 

As  he  neared  the  raft  an  undefined  apprehension 
caused  him  to  quicken  his  steps ;  and  at  the  sound 
of  Binney  Gibbs's  shout  of  warning,  he  broke  into 
a  run.  Then  he  heard  another  shout  of  "  Hoi'  on, 
Marse  Winn !  I  comin' !"  and  the  noise  of  a 
struggle.  In  another  moment  he  was  in  the  thick 
of  it. 

Solon  had  reached  the  raft  just  in  time  to  save 
Binney,  who  he  thought  was  Winn,  from  being 
dropped  overboard  by  Plater,  the  "  river-trader." 
The  old  negro  attacked  the  big  man  so  furiously 
with  tooth  and  nail  that  the  latter  gave  the  lad  in 
his  arms  a  fling  to  one  side,  sending  him  crashing 
with  stunning  force  against  the  "  shanty,"  and  de 
voted  his  entire  attention  to  this  new  assailant. 
He  had  just  stretched  Solon  on  the  deck  with  a 
vicious  blow  of  his  powerful  fist,  when  Billy  Brack- 
ett  appeared  and  sprang  eagerly  into  the  fray. 
Even  Plater's  brute  strength  was  no  match  for  the 
young  engineer's  science,  and  the  latter  would  have 
gained  a  speedy  victory,  had  not  Grimshaw,  who 
had  been  engaged  in  casting  off  the  lines  that  held 
the  raft  to  the  bank,  come  to  his  partner's  assist 
ance. 

Now,  with  such  odds  against  him,  Billy  Brackett 
tfas  slowly  but  surely  forced  backward  towards 


A  Stvry  of  the  Great  River.  275 

the  edge  of  the  raft.  In  another  moment  he 
would  have  been  in  the  river,  when  all  at  once 
two  dripping  figures  emerged  from  it,  scrambled 
aboard,  and  with  a  yell  like  a  war-whoop,  ranged 
themselves  on  the  weaker  side.  A  few  well- 
planted  blows,  a  determined  rush,  and  the  strug 
gle  for  the  possession  of  the  raft  was  ended.  The 
fighting  ardor  of  Messrs.  Plater  and  Grimshaw  was 
being  rapidly  cooled  in  the  icy  waters  through 
which  they  found  themselves  swimming  towards 
the  shore.  At  the  same  time  the  Venture  was 
gaining  speed  with  each  moment,  as,  borne  on  by 
the  resistless  current,  it  drifted  out  over  the  min 
gling  floods  of  the  Ohio  arid  Mississippi.  Billy 
Brackett,  still  panting  from  his  exertions,  was 
bending  over  Binney  Gibbs,  who  was  struggling 
back  to  consciousness.  Solon  was  sitting  up,  ten 
derly  feeling  of  his  swollen  features,  and  declar 
ing,  "  Dat  ar  man  hab  a  fis'  lak  de  hin  laig  ob  a 
mewel." 

Glen  and  Winn  had  manned  one  of  the  sweeps, 
and  were  trying  to  get  the  raft  properly  headed 
with  the  current.  Thus  the  voyage  was  really 
begun,  and  the  young  engineer,  who  hated  to  run 
away,  was  spared  the  necessity  of  making  a  deci 
sion.  It  was  a  start,  too,  with  all  hands  on  board. 
To  be  sure,  two  of  them  were  battered  and  bruised, 
while  two  more  were  soaked  to  the  skin but  all 


276   Baftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

were  there,  and  none  was  greatly  the  worse  fof 
the  recent  exciting  experience. 

Suddenly  Billy  Brackett  spoke  up  and  asked : 
"  But  where  is  Bim  ?  Is  it  possible  that  we  have 
left  him  behind  ?" 

For  a  moment  no  one  answered.  Then  Winn 
said :  "  That's  what  Glen  and  I  were  ashore  for. 
We  are  afraid  he  is  lost." 

"Lost!  Bim  wouldn't  get  lost!  He  has  too 
much  sense." 

"I  expect  he  is  this  time,  though,"  said  Glen. 
"  and  we  don't  believe  he  will  ever  be  found  again, 
either."  Then  he  told  of  Bim's  rushing  ashore, 
the  smothered  yelp,  the  loud  splash  that  followed, 
and  of  their  unsuccessful  search  for  him  in  the 
darkness.  "So  it  looks  as  though  the  poor  dog 
were  done  for,"  concluded  Glen,  "  and  I  expect  it 
was  by  a  trick  of  those  same  fellows  who  tried  to 
capture  the  raft." 

Billy  Brackett  listened  closely,  without  a  word, 
and  when  he  had  heard  all  there  was  to  tell, 
he  turned  abruptly  away  and  walked  into  the 
"shanty,"  muttering  through  his  clinched  teeth, 
"  The  scoundrels." 

It  certainly  would  have  gone  hard  with  the 
"  river-traders  "  could  the  stalwart  young  engineer 
have  laid  hands  on  them  at  that  moment. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A    BLAZE    ON    THE    RIVER 

As  Messrs.  Plater  and  Grimshaw  will  not  appear 
again  in  this  story,  it  may  be  as  well  to  dismiss 
them  at  once.  The  well-conceived  and  desperate 
effort  to  gain  possession  of  the  raft  just  de 
scribed  was  their  last  attempt  in  that  direction. 
They  had  watched  Billy  Brackett  leave  it,  had  en 
ticed  the  ever-faithful  Bim  from  it,  and  when, 
from  a  place  of  concealment,  they  heard  two  of 
its  remaining  defenders  go  ashore  in  search  of  the 
brave  dog,  their  satisfaction  was  complete.  Now 
they  were  sure  of  the  prize  for  which  they  were 
willing  to  risk  so  much.  Stealing  silently  to  the 
raft  without  attracting  Binny  Gibbs's  attention, 
they  leaped  aboard,  proceeded  to  dispose  of  him, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  set  the  Venture  adrift. 
Had  not  Binney's  shout  guided  Solon  to  the  scene, 
success  would  have  crowned  their  efforts. 

The  old  negro  was  not  a  fighter  by  nature,  but 
in  defence  of  those  he  loved  he  could  be  bold  as  a 
lion.  Consequently  he  rushed  to  the  rescue  of  the 
boy  whom  he  supposed  was  Winn  Caspar  with- 


278  Raftmate*: 

out  hesitation,  and  careless  of  the  odds  against 
him.  His  coming,  followed  so  quickly  by  that  of 
Billy  Brackett  and  the  arrival  of  the  two  boys, 
turned  the  tide  of  battle.  Glen  and  Winn  were 
compelled  to  plunge  overboard  and  swim  for  the 
raft,  as  it  was  already  a  rod  or  so  from  shore 
when  they  regained  the  place  where  it  had  been 
tied. 

The  "river-traders"  were  unwillingly  compelled 
to  take  the  same  plunge  a  moment  later,  and  as 
they  swam  towards  the  shore,  which,  fortunately 
for  them,  was  still  near  at  hand,  their  hearts  were 
filled  with  bitterness  at  their  defeat,  while  plans  for 
future  vengeance  were  already  forming  in  their 
minds.  But  these  were  never  carried  out,  for  the 
reason  that,  as  they  were  making  their  dripping  way 
into  town,  they  came  across  the  mob  bent  on  a  deed 
of  destruction  that  they  themselves  had  instigated. 
With  it  was  Joe  Kiley,  the  operator,  and  as  these 
were  the  very  men  he  was  most  desirous  of  meet 
ing  just  then,  he  persuaded  his  associates  to  devote 
a  few  minutes  of  attention  to  them. 

As  a  result  of  this  interview  with  one  who  knew 
so  much  about  them  and  their  business,  their 
career  as  "  river-traders  ended  then  and  there.  A 
few  days  later  they  left  Cairo  in  company  with 
Sheriff  Kiley,  of  Dubuque,  who  had  come  down 
the  river  on  purpose  to  escort  them  north.  Why 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  279 

they  had  been  so  anxious  to  recover  possession  of 
the  Venture  was  for  a  long  time  an  unsolved  puz 
zle  to  the  crew  of  that  interesting  raft.  That  the 
reason  was  finally  explained  will  be  made  as  clear 
to  us  as  it  was  to  our  raftmates  before  the  end  of 
this  story  of  their  unique  voyage  down  the  great 
river.  When  it  is,  we  shall  probably  wonder,  as 
they  did,  that  so  simple  a  solution  of  the  mystery 
had  not  occurred  to  us  before. 

In  the  mean  time  the  raft,  once  more  in  full  pos 
session  of  its  rightful  crew,  is  gliding  swiftly  with 
the  mighty  current  through  the  starlit  darkness. 
Billy  Brackett,  with  a  heart  full  of  sorrow  over 
the  loss  of  his  four-footed  but  dearly  loved  com 
panion,  is  on  watch.  The  lantern,  lighted  and  run 
to  the  top  of  the  flag-staff,  sends  forth  a  clear  beam 
of  warning  to  all  steamboats.  In  the  "shanty," 
which  looks  very  bright  and  cosey  in  comparison 
with  the  outside  darkness,  Binney  Gibbs  is  lying 
comfortably  in  one  of  the  bunks,  Solon  is  making 
himself  acquainted  with  the  arrangements  of  his 
new  galley,  and  the  other  two  are  changing  their 
wet  clothing,  while  carrying  on  an  animated  con 
versation  regarding  the  stirring  events  just  re 
corded. 

"  How  jolly  this  would  all  be  if  it  wasn't  for 
poor  Billy's  melancholy  over  the  loss  of  his  dog," 
remarked  Glen  El  ting,  as  he  turned  the  steaming 


280  Raftmates : 

garments  hanging  in  front  of  the  galley  stove, 
"  It  was  a  splendid  start,  wasn't  it  Grip  ?" 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  answered  Binney,  a  little 
doubtfully ;"  though  I  don't  believe  it  would  seem 
quite  so  fine  to  you  if  you  ached  all  over  as  I 
do." 

"  Perhaps  not,  old  man.  But  you'll  be  all  right 
again  to-morrow,  after  a  good  night  in  '  dream- 
bags  ;"  and  anyway,  you  must  admit  that  this  beats 
steamboating  all  to  nothing.  Just  think,  if  we 
hadn't  been  lucky  enough  to  fall  in  with  this 
blessed  raft,  and  Billy  and  Winn,  and  all  the  rest, 
we  should  at  this  very  moment  be  just  ordinary 
ten-o'clock-at-night  passengers,  shivering  on  the 
Cairo  wharf-boat,  and  waiting  for  the  New  Orleans 
packet  to  come  along.  She's  due  there  some  time 
this  evening,  you  know." 

"  Yes ;  and  instead  of  that,  here  I  am — " 

"Here  you  are,"  interrupted  Glen,  seeing  that 
his  friend  was  about  to  utter  a  complaint ;  "  and 
thankful  you  ought  to  be  to  find  yourself  here,  too. 
Why,  we'll  be  as  merry  as  this  muddy  old  river  is 
long,  as  soon  as  Billy  ceases  to  mourn  for  his  dog. 
I'm  a  little  surprised  that  he  should  take  it  so  much 
to  heart,  though.  It  isn't  like  Billy  B.  to  be  cast 
down  over  trifles." 

"  Trifles !"  cried  Winn.  "  When  you  call  dear 
old  Bim  a  '  trifle,'  you  are  making  one  of  the  big 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  £81 

mistakes  of  your  life,  and  you  wouldn't  do  it 
either  if  you  had  known  him  as  well  as  I  did. 
There  never  was  another  dog  like  him  for  wisdom 
and  gentleness  and  pluck  and — well,  and  every 
thing  that  makes  a  dog  lovely.  Why,  that  Bim 
would  reason  his  way  out  of  scrapes  that  would 
stump  a  man,  and  the  word  'fear'  was  never 
printed  in  his  dictionary.  Somehow  I  can't  help 
thinking  that  he'll  turn  up  all  right,  bright  and 
smiling,  yet." 

"  I  don't  see  how,"  said  Glen. 

"  Neither  can  I,  and  I  don't  suppose  I  could 
if  I  were  in  his  place;  but  unless  Bim  is  un 
commonly  dead,  I'll  guarantee  that  he'll  come 
to  life  again  somehow  and  somewhere.  In  fact, 
I  shouldn't  be  one  bit  surprised  to  see  him 
aboard  this  very  raft  again  before  our  voyage  is 
ended." 

"  I  must  confess  that  I  should,"  said  Glen. 

"  That's  because  you  don't  know  him,"  respond 
ed  Winn.  "Isn't  it,  Solon?" 

"  I  'spec's  hit  must  be,  Marse  Winn,"  answered 
the  old  negro. 

"  And  wasn't  he  the  very  wisest  dog  you  ever 
knew  i" 

"  Yes,  sah,  he  suttinly  was,  all  'ceptin'  one,  an' 
hit  war  a  yallar  'coon  dawg  wha'  I  uster  own 
down  in  ole  Lou  siana.  I  'spec's  he  war  jes  a 


282  Raftmates  : 

teenty  mite  more  knowin'  dan  eben  Marse  Brack's 
Bim  dawg.  He  name  war  Bijah." 

"How  did  he  ever  prove  his  wisdom?"  asked 
Winn,  incredulously. 

"  How  him  provin'  it!"  exclaimed  the  old  negro, 
warming  to  his  subject.  "Why,  sah,  him  provin' 
it  ebbery  day  ob  he  life  more  ways  'n  one." 

"  Well,  give  us  an  example,  if  you  can  remember 
one." 

u  Yes,  sah,  I  kin.  An'  I  tell  you-all  one  ob  de 
berry  simples'  t'ings  what  dat  ar  Bijah  ebber  done. 
He  war  jest  a  ornery,  stumpy -tail,  'coon  dawg, 
Bijah  war,  an'  him  know  he  warn't  nuffin  else. 
Dat's  why  he  won't  go  fer  nuffin  'ceptin'  'coons — 
no  rabbits,  ner  'possum,  ner  fox,  ner  b'ar,  ner  nuffin 
— jes  'coons.  But  'coons  !  Don'  talk,  gen'l'wm  / 
I  reckin  dat  ar  Bijah  done  know  ebbery  'coon  in 
twenty  mile  ob  de  Moss  Back  plantaslmn.  An'  he 
knowed  some  fer  'coons  wha'  didn'  'low  dey  war 
'coons  no  way." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?"  asked  Winn. 

"  Dat's  wha'  I  comin'  to,  Marse  Winn,  but  yo' 
mus'n'  hurry  de  ole  man.  One  day  I  takin'  de  ole 
kyart  inter  town  wif  a  load  er  wood,  an'  Bijah  he 
gwine  erlong.  When  we  comin'  to  der  place  whar 
de  wood  kyarts  stops,  I  onyoked,  an'  Bijah  he 
lyin',  sleepy  like,  onder  de  kyart.  I  passin'  de 
time  er  day  'long  some  udder  cullud  fellers,  an' 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  283 

tellin'  wha'  kind  ob  a  'coon  dawg  Bijah  war,  an' 
how  he  ain't  know  nuffin  no  way  'ceptin'  'coons. 
Suddint  I  see  dat  ar  dawg  kin'  er  wink  he  eye,  an' 
raise  up  an'  sniff  de  yair,  an'  den  lite  out  licketty 
cut  down  erlong.  Dey  ain't  nuffin  on  de  road 
'ceptin'  jes  a  cullud  gal,  an'  she  a-turnin'  inter  de 
sto'. 

"Dem  fellers  laff  fit  to  bus'  deirselfs,  an'  say, 
'  Hi  dar  !  wha'  dat  fine  'coon  dawg  gwine  fer 
now  ?' 

"  I  say,  '  Him  gwine  fer  a  'coon,  gen'l'men,  he 
suttinly  am.'  Yo'  see,  I  jes  nacherly  'bleeged  ter 
say  so.  Same  time,  I  kin'  er  jubious. 

"  Afo'  we  comin'  ter  de  sto',  I  heah  ole  Bijah 
gibbin  tongue  lak  mad,  an'  I  say,  '  Him  treed  um' 
gen'l'men  !  him  treed  um  fer  sho'.  But  when  we 
comin'  dar,  an'  look  in  der  do',  I  feelin'  mighty 
sick.  Dat  ar  cullud  gal  she  up  in  er  cheer  er-shyin' 
she  umbrel  at  Bijah,  an'  him  jes  a  dancin'  'roun', 
an'  er-yelpin'. 

"  Well,  ef  dem  fellers  ain't  laff !  Dey  jes  roll 
deirselfs  in  de  dus'. 

"  *  Whar  yo'  'coon  dawg  now  ?  Whar  yo'  'coon 
dawg  ?'  dey  axin  ;  but  I  kep'  on  say  in'  nuffin.  I 
know  dat  gal,  an'  when  I  hit  Bijah  er  clip  to  stop 
he  noise,  I  say,  berry  polite,  '  Mawnin',  Lize.  Yo' 
got  any  'coon  'bout  yo'  pusson  ?' 

"  Den  she  say,  snappylike,  *  How  I  gwine  get 


884  Raftmatea: 

'coon,  yo'  fool  nigger!  No,  sab,  I  ain't  got  no 
'coon  'ceptin'  my  ole  man  wha'  I  marry  yistiddy^ 
he  name  Coon?  " 

The  shout  of  laughter  that  greeted  this  story 
was  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  Billy  Brack- 
ett  at  the  door. 

"  Come  out  here,  boys  !"  he  cried.  "  There's  a 
steamboat  on  fire  and  coming  down  the  river !" 

This  startling  announcement  emptied  the  "  shan 
ty"  in  a  hurry.  Even  Binney  Gibbs  forgot  his 
aches  and  joined  his  mates  outside. 

There  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  the 
column  of  flame  that  turned  the  darkness  into  day 
behind  them.  It  was  so  near  that  they  could  hear 
its  ominous  roar,  while  the  black  forest  walls  on 
either  side  of  the  river  were  bathed  in  a  crimson 
glow  from  its  baleful  light.  A  vast  cloud  of 
smoke,  through  which  shot  millions  of  sparks, 
trailed  and  eddied  above  it,  while,  with  the  hoarse 
voice  of  escaping  steam,  the  blazing  craft  sounded 
its  own  death-note. 

As  the  monster  came  tearing  down  the  channel 
of  crimson  and  gold  that  opened  and  ever  widened 
before  it,  our  raftmates  were  fascinated  by  the 
sight  of  its  sublime  but  awful  approach.  They 
stood  motionless  and  speechless  until  roused  to  a 
sudden  activity  by  Billy  Brackett's  shout  of  "  Man 
the  sweeps,  fellows!  She  is  unmanageable,  and 


JKE    YOl'N<!    TH1EUS   THE    HOYS   TL(UJEl)    AT    TIIK    HKAVY    SWEEPS. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

headed  for  us  as  straight  as  an  arrow.  If  we  can't 
get  out  of  the  way  she'll  be  on  top  of  us  inside  of 
two  minutes  more!" 

Like  young  tigers  the  boys  tugged  at  the  heavy 
sweeps ;  but  they  might  as  well  have  tried  to  ex 
tinguish  the  floating  volcano  that  threatened  them 
with  destruction  as  to  remove  that  mass  of  timber 
beyond  reach  of  danger  within  the  time  allowed 
them.  The  task  was  an  impossible  one ;  and  as 
they  realized  this  fact,  the  crew  of  the  Venture 
prepared  to  launch  their  skiff,  abandon  the  raft, 
and  row  for  their  lives. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

BIM'S  HEROISM. 

As  the  burning  steamboat  swept  down  towards 
the  low -lying  raft  the  destruction  of  the  latter 
appeared  so  certain  that  its  crew  abandoned  all  hope 
of  saving  it ;  and,  taking  to  their  skiff,  sought  by 
its  means  to  escape  the  threatened  danger.  It  was 
a  forlorn  hope,  and  promised  but  little.  Even  with 
Billy  Brackett's  strong  arms  tugging  at  its  oars, 
the  heavily  laden  skiff  seemed  to  move  so  slowly, 
that  but  for  the  ever -widening  space  between 
them  and  the  raft  they  would  have  deemed  it  at  a 
stand-still.  They  gazed  in  silence  and  with  fasci 
nated  eyes  at  the  on-coming  terror.  At  length, 
with  a  sigh  of  thankfulness,  they  saw  that  they 
were  beyond  its  track,  and  Billy  Brackett's  labors 
were  somewhat  relaxed. 

Suddenly,  as  though  endowed  with  a  fiendish 
intelligence,  the  blazing  fabric  took  a  sheer  to  port, 
and  headed  for  the  skiff.  A  hoarse  cry  broke  from 
the  old  negro,  whose  face  was  ashen  gray  with 
fright.  It  was  echoed  by  Binney  Gibbs.  The 
others  kept  silence,  but  their  faces  were  bloodless. 


Haft/mates :  A  Stot^y  of  the  Great  River.  287 

By  a  mighty  effort  Billy  Brackett  spun  the  skiff 
around,  and  with  the  energy  of  despair  pulled 
back  towards  the  raft.  The  stout  oars  bent  like 
whips.  If  one  of  them  had  given  way  nothing 
could  have  saved  our  raftmates  from  destruction. 
Had  the  tough  blades  been  of  other  than  home 
make,  and  fashioned  from  the  best  product  of  the 
Caspar  Mill,  they  must  have  yielded.  With  each 
stroke  Billy  Brackett  rose  slightly  from  his  seat. 
Arms,  body,  and  legs  made  splendid  response  to 
the  demands  of  the  invincible  will.  Years  of  care 
ful  training  and  right  living  were  concentrated 
into  that  supreme  moment.  Another  might  have 
sought  personal  safety  by  plunging  overboard  and 
diving  deep  into  the  river.  Glen  and  Winn  might 
have  followed  such  an  example.  Binney  and  So 
lon,  being  unable  to  swim,  could  not.  But  Billy 
Brackett  was  too  true  an  American  to  consider 
such  a  thing  for  an  instant.  Generations  of  Yan 
kee  ancestors  had  taught  him  never  to  desert  a 
friend  nor  yield  to  a  foe ;  never  to  court  a  danger 
nor  to  fear  one ;  to  fight  in  a  righteous  cause  witk 
his  latest  breath  ;  to  snatch  victory  from  defeat. 

As  the  skiff  dashed  alongside  the  Venture  the 
vast,  glowing,  seething  mass  of  flame,  smoke,  and 
crashing  timbers  swept  by  so  close  that  the  raft- 
mates  were  obliged  to  seek  a  shelter  in  the  cool 
waters  from  its  deadly  heat.  Clinging  to  the  edge 


888  Raftmate*: 

of  the  raft,  with  their  bodies  entirely  submerged, 
they  gazed  breathlessly  and  with  blinded  eyes  at 
the  grandest  and  most  awful  sight  to  be  seen  on  the 
Mississippi.  It  was  a  huge  lower-river  packet,  and 
was  completely  enveloped  in  roaring  flames  that 
poured  from  every  opening,  and  streamed  furiously 
from  the  tall  chimneys  the  trailing  banners  of  the 
fire-fiend.  The  boat  was  under  a  full  head  of  steam, 
her  machinery  was  still  intact,  and  the  great  wheels, 
churning  the  glowing  waters  into  a  crimson  foam, 
forced  her  ahead  with  the  speed  of  a  locomotive. 
The  back  draught  thus  caused  kept  the  forward 
end  of  her  lower  deck  free  from  flame.  Here,  as 
she  rushed  past,  the  boys  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
only  sign  of  life  they  could  discover  aboard  the  ill- 
fated  packet.  It  was  a  dog  leaping  from  side  to 
side,  and  barking  furiously. 

They  had  hardly  noted  his  presence  when  a  cu 
rious  thing  happened.  There  came  an  explosion 
of  steam,  a  crash,  and  the  starboard  wheel  dropped 
from  its  shaft.  Thus  crippled,  the  blazing  craft 
made  a  grand  sweep  of  half  a  circle  in  front  of  the 
raft.  Then,  as  the  other  wheel  also  became  dis 
abled  and  ceased  its  mad  churnings,  the  boat  lay 
with  her  head  up-stream,  drifting  helplessly  with 
the  current.  The  packet  was  not  more  than  a 
couple  of  hundred  feet  from  the  raft  when  its 
wild  progress  was  thus  checked,  and  now  the  bark- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  289 

of  the  dog,  that  had  already  attracted  the  boy's 
attention,  were  heard  more  plainly  than  before. 

All  at  once  Billy  Brackett,  who  had  regained  the 
wave- washed  deck  of  the  raft,  called  out,  "  It's  Bim! 
I  know  his  voice !" 

With  this  he  again  sprang  into  the  skiff,  with 
the  evident  intention  of  attempting  to  rescue  his 
four-footed  comrade.  Winn  Caspar  was  just  in 
time  to  scramble  in  over  the  stern  as  the  skiff  shot 
away.  "  I  may  be  of  some  help,"  he  said. 

As  they  neared  the  burning  boat,  they  saw  that 
the  dog  was  indeed  Bim.  He  answered  their  calls 
with  frantic  barks  of  joy,  but  refused  to  leap  into 
the  skiff  or  into  the  water,  as  they  urged  him  to. 

He  would  run  back  out  of  their  sight  instead, 
and  then  reappear,  barking  frantically  all  the  while. 
Once  he  seemed  to  be  dragging  something,  and  try 
ing  to  hold  it  up  for  their  inspection. 

u  The  dear  old  dog  has  some  good  reason  for  act 
ing  in  that  way,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  "  and  I  must 
go  to  him." 

Winn  had  not  the  heart  to  remonstrate  against 
an  attempt  to  aid  Bim,  even  though  its  extreme 
danger  was  obvious.  The  blazing  hull,  from  which 
most  of  the  upper  works  were  now  burned  away, 
was  liable  to  plunge  to  the  bottom  at  any  moment, 
and  the  boy  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  being  en 
gulfed  in  the  seething  whirlpool  which  would 


290  Raftmudes: 

thus  be  created.  He  involuntarily  cringed,  too,  at 
the  thought  of  the  red-hot  boilers  ready  to  burst 
and  deluge  all  surrounding  objects  with  scalding 
steam  and  hissing  water.  Still,  he  would  not  have 
spoken  a  single  word  to  deter  Billy  Brackett  from 
his  daring  project  even  had  he  known  it  would  be 
heeded. 

While  these  thoughts  flashed  through  Winn's 
mind,  his  companion  was  clambering  up  over  the 
low  guards,  and  Bim's  joyful  welcome  of  his  mas 
ter  was  pitiful  in  its  extravagance.  The  dog  seemed 
to  say,  "  I  knew  you  would  come  if  I  only  waited 
patiently  and  barked  loud  enough.  Now  you  see 
why  I  couldn't  leave." 

The  object  to  which  Bim  thus  directed  attention, 
as  plainly  as  though  possessed  of  speech,  was  a 
little  curly-haired  puppy,  a  Gordon  setter,  so  young 
that  its  eyes  were  not  yet  opened. 

Billy  Brackett  picked  it  up  and  dropped  it  over 
the  side  into  "Winn's  arms.  Then  he  tried  to  do 
the  same  by  Bim ;  but,  with  a  loud  bark,  the  nimble 
dog  eluded  his  grasp,  and  dashed  away  into  the 
thick  of  the  smoke.  Tongues  of  flame  were  lick 
ing  their  cruel  way  through  it,  and  as  Bim  emerged, 
his  hair  was  scorched  in  yellow  patches.  He 
dragged  out  a  dead  puppy,  laid  it  at  his  master's 
feet,  and  before  he  could  be  restrained  had  once 
aore  dashed  back  into  the  stifling  smoke.  Again 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

he  appeared,  this  time  weak  and  staggering,  every 
trace  of  his  white  coat  gone.  He  was  singed  and 
blackened  beyond  recognition  ;  but  he  was  a  four- 
footed  hero,  who  had  nobly  performed  a  self-im 
posed  duty.  As  he  feebly  dragged  another  little 
dead  puppy  to  his  master's  feet,  Billy  Brackett 
seized  the  brave  dog  in  his  arms,  and  sprang  over 
the  side  of  the  doomed  steamboat  into  the  waiting 
skiff.  Tears  stood  in  the  young  man's  eyes  as  the 
suffering  creature  licked  his  face,  and  he  exclaimed, 
"I  tell  you  what,  Winn  Capar,  if  this  blessed  dog 
isn't  possessed  of  a  soul,  then  I'm  not,  that's  all !" 

Meanwhile  Winn  was  pulling  the  skiff  swiftly 
beyond  reach  of  danger.  It  was  none  too  soon ; 
for  before  they  reached  the  raft,  the  glowing  mass 
behind  them  reared  itself  on  end  as  though  mak 
ing  a  frantic  effort  to  escape  its  fate.  Then,  with 
a  hissing  plunge,  it  disappeared  beneath  the  turbid 
flood  of  the  great  river.  A  second  later  there 
came  a  muffled  explosion,  and  a  column  of  water, 
capped  by  a  cloud  of  steam,  shot  upward.  At 
the  same  time  the  scene  was  shrouded  in  a  dark 
ness  made  absolute  by  the  sudden  extinguishing  of 
the  fierce  light,  while  the  silence  that  immediately 
succeeded  the  recent  uproar  seemed  unbroken. 

Then  the  momentary  hush  was  invaded  by  the 
sound  of  many  voices,  some  of  which  were  ut 
tering  groans  and  cries  of  pain.  A  score  of  un~ 


892  Raflmates: 

fortnnates  from  the  burned  packet,  who  had  been 
driven  by  the  flames  to  the  extreme  after-end  of 
the  boat,  where  they  were  hidden  from  the  view  of 
those  on  the  raft,  had  leaped  into  the  water  as  they 
were  swept  past,  and  managed  to  reach  it  while 
Billy  Brackett  and  Winn  were  away. 

Now,  by  means  of  the  skiff,  others  whose  cries 
for  help  located  them  in  the  darkness  were  picked 
up.  Many  persons  had  escaped  soon  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  fire  by  means  of  the  small 
boats  and  life-raft  carried  by  the  packet;  while 
still  others,  comprising  nearly  half  the  ship's  com 
pany,  were  lost.  It  was  one  the  most  terrible  of 
the  many  similar  disasters  recorded  in  the  history 
of  steamboating  on  the  Mississippi;  and  to  this 
day  the  burning  of  the  Lytle  is  a  favorite  theme  of 
conversation  among  old  river  men. 

When  Glen  Elting  learned  the  name  of  the  ill- 
fated  craft,  he  started  and  turned  pale.  "The 
very  packet  for  which  we  were  waiting !"  he  cried, 
with  bated  breath.  "Oh,  Binney,  how  many  things 
we  have  to  be  thankful  for  !n 

"  Indeed  we  have,"  answered  the  boy ;  "  and  not 
the  least  of  them  is  that  we  are  in  a  position  to 
help  these  poor  people,  who  have  been  overtaken 
by  the  misfortune  that  was  reaching  out  for  us." 

These  two  were  tearing  sheets  into  bandage 
strips,  and  dressing  wounds  with  the  salve  and 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  29$ 

ointments  found  in  Major  Caspar's  medicine  chest. 
Solon  was  providing  a  plentiful  supply  of  hot- 
water  over  a  roaring  fire  in  the  galley  stove,  and 
bustling  about  among  the  forlorn  assembly,  that, 
drenched  and  shivering,  had  been  so  suddenly  in 
trusted  to  his  kindly  care.  Billy  Brackett  and 
Winn  rowed  in  every  direction  about  the  raft  so 
long  as  there  was  the  slightest  hope  of  picking  up 
a  struggling  swimmer. 

Their  last  rescue  was  that  of  a  man  clinging  to  a 
state-room  door,  and  so  benumbed  with  the  chill  of 
the  water  that  in  a  few  moments  more  his  hold 
must  have  relaxed.  Beside  him  swam  a  dog,  also 
nearly  exhausted. 

When  the  man  was  carried  into  the  "  shanty," 
the  dog  followed  him,  and  was  there  seen  to  be  of 
the  same  markings  and  breed  as  the  puppy  saved 
by  Bim.  Noting  this,  Winn  hunted  it  up  and 
brought  it  to  her.  It  was  hers,  and  no  human 
mother  could  have  shown  more  extravagant  joy 
than  did  this  dog  mother  at  so  unexpectedly  find 
ing  one  of  her  lost  babies.  She  actually  cried  with 
happiness,  and  fondled  her  little  one  until  it  pro 
tested  with  all  the  strength  of  its  feeble  voice. 
Then  she  lay  down  with  the>puppy  cuddled  close 
to  her,  and  one  paw  thrown  protectingly  across  it, 
the  picture  of  perfect  content. 

Bim  had  been  almost  as  excited  as  she,  and  in 


994  Raftmates:  A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer. 

spite  of  his  burns,  had  circled  about  the  two,  and 
barked  until  the  puppy  persuaded  its  mother  to  be 
quiet.  Then  Biin  and  she  lay  down,  nose  to  nose, 
and  while  the  former  told  his  friend  how  he  had 
found  her  deserted  babies  on  the  boat  and  had  de 
termined  to  save  them,  and  how  his  own  dear  mas 
ter  had  come  in  answer  to  his  barks  for  assistance, 
she  told  him  how  she  had  been  in  the  after-part 
of  the  boat  getting  her  supper  when  the  flames 
broke  out,  and  had  gone  nearly  crazy  at  finding 
herself  separated  from  her  little  ones.  She  assured 
him  she  would  have  gone  through  fire  and  water 
to  reach  them  had  not  her  master  thrown  her 
overboard,  and  immediately  afterwards  jumped 
into  the  river  himself.  Then  she  believed  that  all 
was  lost,  for  in  her  distress  of  mind  she  had  en 
tirely  forgotten  her  brave  friend  Bim.  If  she  had 
only  remembered  him,  she  would  have  been  quite 
at  ease,  knowing,  of  course,  that  he  would  find 
some  way  of  saving  at  least  one  of  her  puppies, 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  was  all  that  could 
be  expected. 

At  which  Bim  jumped  up  and  barked  for  pure 
happiness,  until  his  master  said,  "  That  will  do, 
Bim,  for  the  present." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  MASTER  OP  MOSS  BANK. 

THE  Gordon  setter's  name  was  Nanita,  while 
that  of  her  master  was  Mr.  Guy  Manton,  of  New 
York.  Within  a  short  time  after  the  final  plunge 
of  the  burned  packet,  several  steamboats,  attracted 
by  the  blaze,  reached  the  raft,  and  offered  to  carry 
the  suvivors  of  the  disaster  to  the  nearest  town. 
This  offer  was  accepted  by  all  except  Mr.  Manton, 
who  asked,  as  a  favor,  that  he  and  his  dogs  might 
be  allowed  to  remain  on  board  the  Venture,  at  least 
until  morning.  Of  course  the  raftmates  willingly 
consented  to  this,  for  Mr.  Manton  was  so  grateful 
to  them,  besides  proving  such  an  agreeable  com 
panion,  that  they  could  not  help  but  like  him. 

From  him  they  learned  how  Bim  happened  to 
be  on  board  the  ill-fated  steamboat,  a  situation  over 
which  they  had  all  puzzled,  but  concerning  which 
they  had  heretofore  found  no  opportunity  of  in 
quiring.  According  to  Mr.  Manton's  story,  he 
was  on  his  way  to  a  plantation  on  the  Mississippi, 
in  Louisiana,  which  he  had  recently  purchased,  but 
had  not  yet  seen. 


£96  Raftmates  : 

Wishing  to  learn  something  of  the  great  river 
on  a  bank  of  which  his  property  lay,  he  had  come 
by  way  of  St.  Louis,  and  there  boarded  the  fine 
New  Orleans  packet  Lytle.  He  had  brought  with 
him  a  supply  of  machinery,  provisions,  and  tools 
for  the  plantation,  all  of  which  were  now  either 
consumed  by  fire  or  lay  at  the  bottom  of  the  river. 
He  had  also  brought  his  favorite  setter  Nanita 
and  her  litter  of  three  young  puppies,  which  he 
had  proposed  to  establish  at  his  new  winter  home. 

During  the  stop  of  the  packet  at  Cairo  he  had 
taken  Nanita  ashore  for  a  run.  On  their  way  back 
to  the  boat  he  discovered  that  she  was  not  follow 
ing  him,  and  anxiously  retracing  his  steps  a  short 
distance,  found  her  in  company  with  a  white  bull 
dog,  to  whom  she  was  evidently  communicating 
some  matter  of  great  interest. 

Mr.  Manton  saw  that  the  strange  dog  was  a  val 
uable  one,  and  when  it  showed  an  inclination  to 
follow  them,  tried  to  persuade  it  to  return  to  its 
home,  which  he  supposed  was  somewhere  in  the 
town.  As  the  dog  disappeared,  he  thought  he  had 
succeeded,  and  was  afterwards  surprised  to  find  it 
on  the  boat,  in  company  with  Naoita  and  her  little 
ones.  Believing,  of  course,  that  the  bull -dog's 
owner  was  also  on  board,  he  gave  the  matter  but 
little  thought,  and  soon  after  called  Nanita  aft  to 
be  fed. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River  £97 

While  he  was  attending  to  her  wants,  the  cry  of 
"fire"  was  raised.  The  flames  burst  out  some 
where  near  the  centre  of  the  boat,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  engine-room,  and  had  already  gained  such 
headway  as  to  interpose  an  effectual  barrier  be 
tween  him  and  the  forward  deck.  He  supposed 
that  the  boat  would  at  once  be  headed  for  the 
nearest  bank,  but  found  to  his  dismay  that  almost 
with  the  first  outbreak  of  flame  the  steering-gear 
had  been  rendered  useless.  At  the  same  time 
the  engineers  had  been  driven  from  their  post 
of  duty,  and  thus  the  splendid  packet,  freighted 
with  death  and  destruction,  continued  to  rush 
headlong  down  the  river,  without  guidance  or 
check. 

Amid  the  terrible  scenes  that  ensued,  Mr.  Man- 
ton,  followed  \)j  his  faithful  dog,  was  barely  able 
to  reach  his  own  stateroom,  secure  his  money  and 
some  important  papers,  wrench  the  door  from  its 
hinges,  throw  it  and  Nanita  overboard,  and  then 
leap  for  his  own  life  into  the  dark  waters. 

At  this  point  the  grateful  man  again  tried  to  ex 
press  his  sense  of  obligation  to  his  rescuers,  but  was 
interrupted  by  Billy  Brackett,  who  could  not  bear  to 
be  thanked  for  performing  so  obvious  and  simple 
an  act  of  duty.  To  change  the  subject  the  young 
engineer  told  of  Bim's  act  of  real  heroism  in  saving 
one  and  attempting  to  save  the  other  members  of 


298  Eafimates: 

the  little  family,  which  he  evidently  considered 
had  been  left  in  his  charge. 

To  this  story  Mr.  Manton  listened  with  the  deep 
est  interest ;  and  when  it  was  concluded,  he  said, 
"  He  is  a  dear  dog,  and  most  certainly  a  hero,  if 
there  ever  was  one.  I  shall  always  love  him  for 
this  night's  work." 

Then  Bim,  who  was  now  covered  with  healing 
ointment  and  swathed  in  bandages,  was  petted  and 
praised  until  even  Nanita  grew  jealous,  and  insisted 
on  receiving  a  share  of  her  master's  attention. 

All  the  while  the  brave  bull-dog  looked  into  the 
faces  of  those  gathered  about  him  with  such  a 
pleading  air  of  intelligence  and  such  meaning 
barks  that  his  longing  to  tell  of  what  had  hap 
pened  to  him  after  he  started  from  the  raft  in  pur 
suit  of  the  odious  "river-trader"  who  had  once 
kicked  him  was  evident  to  them  all.  If  he  only 
could  have  spoken,  he  would  have  told  of  the 
cruel  blow  by  which  he  was  momentarily  stunned, 
of  finding  himself  in  a  bag  in  the  river,  of  how 
he  had  succeeded  by  a  desperate  struggle  in  es 
caping  from  it  and  finally  reaching  the  shore,  of 
his  distress  at  not  finding  the  raft,  and  the  sad 
search  for  his  master  through  the  town,  of  his 
meeting  with  Nanita,  and  of  his  decision  to  accept 
her  advice  and  take  passage  with  her  down  the 
river*  in  which  direction  he  was  certain  his  floating 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  £99 

home  had  gone.  All  this  Bim  would  have  com 
municated  to  his  friends  if  he  could  ;  but  as  they 
were  too  dull  of  comprehension  to  understand  him, 
they  have  remained  in  ignorance  to  this  day  of  that 
thrilling  chapter  of  his  adventures. 

Besides  telling  the  raf  tmates  of  his  cruel  experi 
ence,  Mr.  Man  ton  related  some  of  the  incidents 
of  a  canoe  voyage  even  then  being  made  down  the 
river  by  his  only  son  Worth  and  the  boy's  most 
intimate  friend,  Sumner  Rankin.  These  two  had 
made  a  canoe  cruise  together  through  the  Ever 
glades  of  Florida  the  winter  before,  and  had  en 
joyed  it  so  much,  that  when  Mr.  Manton  proposed 
that  they  should  accompany  him  to  Louisiana,  they 
had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  make  the  trip  in 
their  canoes. 

"  They  started  from  Memphis,"  continued  Mr. 
Manton,  "  and  have  had  some  fine  duck  and  turkey 
shooting  among  the  Coahoma  sloughs  and  cane- 
brakes.  With  them  is  a  colored  man  named 
Quorum,  who  crossed  the  Everglades  with  them, 
and  who  now  accompanies  them,  in  a  skiff  that 
they  purchased  in  Memphis,  as  cook  and  general 
adviser.  I  have  heard  from  them  several  times  by 
letter,  and  so  know  of  their  progress.  It  has  been 
so  good  that  unless  I  make  haste  they  will  reach 
Moss  Bank  before  me.  That  is  the  name  of  our 
new  home,"  he  added,  by  way  of  explanation. 


300  Raftmates : 

"  Wha'  dat  yo'  say,  sab  ?"  exclaimed  Solon,  who 
had  been  an  interested  listener.  "  Yo'  callin'  dat 
ar  plantashun  Moss  Back  ?" 

"Yes,  'Moss  Bank'  is  the  name  it  has  always 
borne,  I  believe,"  replied  Mr.  Manton.  "  But 
why  do  you  ask  ?  Do  you  know  the  place  ?" 

"  Does  I  know  um !  Does  I  know  de  place  I 
war  horned  an'  brung  up  in?  Why,  sah,  dat  ar' 
my  onlies  home  befo'  de  wah.  Ole  Marse  Kankim 
own  um,  an'  me  an'  he  boy,  de  young  marse,  hab 
de  same  mammy.  So  him  my  froster-brudder.  He 
gwine  away  fer  a  sailor  ossifer,  an'  den  de  wah 
comin'  on,  an'  ebberyt'ing  gwine  ter  smash.  He 
name l  Summer.'  Yo'  know  dat  young  gen'l'man  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Manton,  "  I  knew  him  inti 
mately.  He  has  been  dead  for  several  years ;  but 
I  am  well  acquainted  with  his  family,  and  it  is  his 
son  who  is  now  travelling  down  the  river  in  com 
pany  with  my  boy.  In  fact,  it  was  through  him 
that  I  came  to  purchase  this  old  plantation,  with  a 
view  to  making  it  our  winter  home." 

"  Praise  de  Lawd,  I  gwine  ter  see  a  Rankim 
once  mo' !"  exclaimed  the  old  negro.  "  Yo'  is 
gwine  stop  at  de  ole  Moss  Back  place,  Marse 
Winn?  Yo'sholyis?" 

u  Why,  yes ;  if  Mr.  Manton  would  like  to  have 
us,  I  think  we  should  be  very  happy  to  stop  there 
when  we  reach  it,"  said  Winn. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  301 

"Stop!  Of  course  you  will,"  exclaimed  Na- 
nita's  master.  "1  have  already  planned  for  that, 
and  should  feel  terribly  disappointed  if  you  did 
not.  I  want  to  see  more  of  you,  and  I  want  you 
to  meet  and  know  my  boys.  Besides,  I  was  going 
to  ask  you  to  allow  Nanita  and  her  pup  to  com 
plete  their  journey  down  the  river  on  this  raft  in 
company  with  Bim,  who  will,  I  know,  take  good 
care  of  them.  If  you  should  consent  to  this  plan, 
of  course  you  will  be  obliged  to  stop  at  Moss  Bank 
to  land  them. 

"We  shall  be  delighted  to  have  them,"  said 
Billy  Brackett;  "and,  on  behalf  of  Bim,  I  hereby 
extend  a  formal  invitation  to  them  to  become  his 
raftmates  for  the  remainder  of  the  cruise.  At  the 
same  time,  I  am  certain  that  my  companions,  as 
well  as  myself,  will  be  most  happy  to  visit  you  in 
your  new  home,  and  there  make  the  acquaintance 
of  your  boys." 

By  the  time  this  arrangement  was  concluded  it 
was  daylight,  and  Mr.  Manton  insisted  on  the  raft- 
mates  turning  in  for  a  nap,  while  he  and  Solon 
kept  watch.  He  remained  on  board  the  Venture 
all  that  day,  and  by  sunset  the  current  had  borne 
the  raft  forward  so  rapidly  that  they  were  able  to 
tie  up  near  Columbus,  Kentucky.  At  this  point  the 
owner  of  Moss  Bank  bade  his  new-made  friends  au 
revoi/r,  and  started  by  rail  for  his  Louisiana  home. 


S02  Eaftmates :  A  Story  of  the  Great  River. 

After  his  departure,  and  during  the  month  of 
drifting  that  followed,  the  raftmates  talked  so 
much  of  Moss  Bank,  and  listened  to  so  many 
stories  concerning  it  from  Solon,  that  to  their 
minds  it  grew  to  be  the  objective  point  of  their 
trip,  and  seemed  as  though  it  must  be  the  one 
place  towards  which  their  whole  voyage  was  tend 
ing.  Much  as  they  anticipated  the  reaching  of 
this  far-southern  plantation,  however,  they  would 
have  been  greatly  surprised  and  decidedly  incredu 
lous  had  any  one  told  them  that  it  was  indeed  to 
mark  the  limit  of  their  voyage,  and  that  there  the 
good  raft  Venture,  from  Wisconsin  for  New  Or 
leans,  was  destined  to  vanish,  and  become  but  a 
fading  memory.  But  so  it  was,  as  they  found  out, 
and  as  we  shall  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

BIM'S  'COON. 

THROUGH  the  last  week  of  November  and  the 
first  three  of  December  our  raftmates  drifted 
steadily  southward  down  the  great  river.  Al 
though  it  was  the  most  unpleasant  season  of  the 
year,  and  they  encountered  both  cold  rains  and 
bitter  winds  that  chilled  them  to  the  marrow,  the 
boys  thoroughly  enjoyed  their  experience.  They 
could  always  retreat  to  the  "  shanty,"  which  Solon 
kept  well  filled  with  warmth  and  comfort,  and 
they  had  the  satisfaction  of  an  uninterrupted  prog 
ress.  The  management  of  the  raft  called  for  a 
vast  amount  of  hard  and  monotonous  work ;  but  it 
gave  them  splendid  muscles  and  tremendous  appe 
tites.  They  were  obliged  to  maintain  a  constant 
lookout  for  bars,  reefs,  snags,  and  up-bound  river 
craft,  and  by  means  of  the  long  sweeps  at  either 
end  of  the  raft  head  it  this  way  or  that  to  avoid 
these  obstacles  and  keep  the  channel.  They  were 
always  on  the  move  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  and 
generally  travelled  on  moonlit  nights  as  well.  If 
the  night  promised  to  be  dark  or  stormy  they  tied 
up  at  the  nearest  bank. 


304  JRaftmates: 

At  such  times  the  outside  blackness,  the  howling 
wind,  driving  rain-squalls,  and  dashing  waves  only 
heightened  the  interior  cosiness,  the  light,  warmth, 
and  general  comfort  of  their  floating  home.  In  it 
they  played  games,  sang  songs  to  the  accompani 
ment  of  Solon's  banjo,  told  stories,  taught  the  dogs 
tricks ;  or,  under  Billy  Brackett's  direction,  pegged 
away  at  engineering  problems,  such  as  are  con 
stantly  arising  in  the  course  of  railway  construc 
tion.  Even  Winn  tried  his  hand  at  these ;  for 
under  the  stimulus  of  his  companions'  enthusiasm 
he  was  beginning  to  regard  the  career  of  an  engi 
neer  as  one  of  the  most  desirable  and  manly  in 
which  a  young  fellow  could  embark. 

This  voyage  into  the  world,  with  such  guides 
and  associates  as  Billy  Brackett,  Glen  Elting,  and 
Binney  Gibbs,  was  proving  of  inestimable  value  to 
this  boy.  Not  only  were  his  ideas  of  life  broadened 
and  his  stock  of  general  information  increased  by 
it,  but  he  was  rapidly  learning  to  appreciate  the 
beauty  of  modest  pretensions,  and  a  self-reliance 
based  upon  knowledge  and  strength,  as  compared 
with  the  boastf  ulness  and  self-conceit  of  ignorance. 

Sometimes  the  Venture  was  tied  up  for  the  night 
near  other  rafts,  and  its  crew  exchanged  visits 
with  theirs.  The  regular  river  raftsmen  were  gen 
erally  powerful  young  giants,  rough  and  unlettered, 
but  a  good-natured,  happy-go-lucky  lot,  full  of  tales 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  805 

of  adventure  in  the  woods  or  on  the  river,  to  which 
the  boys  listened  with  a  never-failing  delight.  Nor 
were  the  raftmates  at  all  behindhand  in  this  inter 
change  of  good  stories ;  for  they  could  tell  of  life 
on  the  Plains  or  in  California,  of  Indians,  buffalo, 
mountains,  deserts,  and  gold-mines,  to  which  their 
auditors  listened  with  wide-open  eyes  and  gaping 
mouths.  During  the  pauses  Solon  was  always 
ready  with  some  account  of  the  wonderful  per 
formances  of  his  long-ago  'coon  dog  Bijah. 

So  wise  did  our  raftmates  become  concerning 
'coons  and  their  habits,  from  Solon's  teachings,  that 
finally  nothing  would  satisfy  them  but  a  'coon  hunt 
of  their  own.  Billy  Brackett  was  certain  that  Bim, 
who  by  this  time  had  fully  recovered  from  the  ef 
fects  of  his  burns,  would  prove  as  good  at  finding 
'coons  as  he  had  at  everything  else  in  which  he 
had  been  given  a  chance.  Solon  was  doubtful,  be 
cause  of  Bim's  color  and  the  length  of  his  tail. 

"  I  hain't  nebber  see  no  fust-class  'coon  dawg 
wha'  warn't  yallar  an'  stumpy  tail  lak  my  Bijah 
war,"  he  would  remark,  gazing  reflectively  at  Bim, 
and  shaking  his  head.  "Of  cose  dish  yer  Bim 
dawg  uncommon  knowin',  an'  maybe  him  tree  a 
'coon  'mos'  ez  good  ez  Bijah ;  but  hit's  a  gif,  an'  a 
mighty  skurce  gif  'mong  dawgs." 

"  Oh,  come  off,  Solon !"  Billy  Brackett  would  an 
swer.  "You  just  wait  till  you  see  Bim  tree  a 


306  Raftmates: 

'coon.  He'll  do  it  so  quick,  after  we  once  get  into 
a  'coon  neighborhood,  that  your  Bijah  would  be 
left  a  thousand  miles  behind,  and  you  won't  ever 
want  to  mention  his  name  again." 

So  one  night  when  the  Venture  was  well  down 
towards  the  lower  end  of  the  State  of  Arkansas  a 
grand  'coon  hunt  was  arranged.  They  drew  lots  to 
decide  who  should  be  left  behind  in'  charge  of  the 
raft,  and,  much  to  his  disgust,  the  unwelcome  task 
fell  to  Glen.  So  he  remained  on  board  with  Nanita 
and  Cherub,  as  the  pup  had  been  named  in  honor 
of  Bim,  though  it  was  generally  called  "  Cheer-up," 
and  the  others  sallied  forth  into  the  woods. 

They  were  well  provided  with  fat  pine  torches 
and  armed  with  axes.  Bim  was  full  of  eager  ex 
citement,  and  dashed  away  into  the  darkness  the 
moment  they  set  foot  on  shore.  His  incessant  bark 
ing  showed  him  to  be  first  on  this  side  and  then  on 
that,  while  once  in  a  while  they  caught  a  glimpse 
of  his  white  form  glancing  across  the  outer  rim  of 
their  circle  of  torchlight. 

"Isn't  he  hunting  splendidly?"  cried  Billy 
Brackett,  with  enthusiasm. 

"Yes,  sah,"  replied  Solon  ;  "but  him  huntin'  too 
loud.  We  ain't  gettin'  to  de  place  yet,  an'  ef  he 
don'  quit  he  barkin',  him  skeer  off  all  de  'coon  in 
de  State. 

So  Bim  was  called  in,  and  restrained  with  a  bit 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  $07 

of  rope  until  a  corn-field  was  reached  that  Solon 
pronounced  the  right  kind  of  a  place  from  which 
to  make  a  start.  Then  the  eager  dog  was  again 
set  free,  and  in  less  than  a  minute  was  heard  giv 
ing  utterance  to  the  peculiar  yelping  note  that 
announced  his  game  as  "  treed." 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  shouted  Billy  Brackett, 
triumphantly,  as  he  started  on  a  run  for  the  point 
from  which  the  sounds  proceeded.  How's  that 
for — "  but  at  that  instant  the  speaker  tripped  over 
a  root,  and  measured  his  length  on  the  ground  with 
a  crash  that  knocked  both  breath  and  powers  of 
speech  from  his  body.  The  others  were  so  close 
behind  that  they  fell  on  top  of  him  like  a  row  of 
bricks,  and  in  the  resulting  confusion  their  torch 
was  extinguished. 

Hastily  picking  themselves  up,  and  without  paus 
ing  to  relight  the  pine  splinters,  they  rushed  pell- 
mell  towards  the  sound  of  barking,  bumping  into 
trees,  stumbling  over  logs,  scratching  their  faces 
and  tearing  their  clothes  on  thorny  vines.  But 
no  one  minded.  Bim  had  treed  a  'coon  in  the 
shortest  time  on  record,  and  now  if  they  could  only 
get  it,  the  triumph  would  be  ample  reward  for  all 
their  trials. 

Finally,  bruised,  battered,  and  ragged,  they 
reached  the  tree  which  Bim,  with  wild  leapings, 
was  endeavoring  to  climb.  Their  first  move  was 


308  Rafimates: 

to  illumine  the  scene  with  a  huge  bonfire.  By  its 
light  they  proceeded  to  a  closer  examination  of  the 
situation.  The  tree  was  a  huge  moss-hung  water- 
oak,  evidently  too  large  to  be  chopped  down,  as  all 
the  'coon  trees  of  Solon's  stories  had  been.  So 
Winn  offered  to  climb  it  and  shake  out  the  -coon. 
As  yet  they  had  not  discovered  the  animal,  but 
Bim  was  so  confident  of  its  presence  that  they 
took  his  word  for  it. 

Solon  had  raised  a  false  alarm  as  the  first 
gleam  of  firelight  penetrated  the  dark  mass  of 
foliage  above  them  by  exclaiming  : 

"Dar  he!  Me  see  um!  Lookee,  Marse  Brack, 
in  dat  ar  crutch  !" 

But  what  the  old  negro  saw  proved  to  be  a 
bunch  of  mistletoe,  and  when  Winn  began  his 
climb  the  'coon's  place  of  concealment  was  still 
unknown.  Up  went  the  boy  higher  and  higher, 
carefully  examining  each  limb  as  he  passed  it, 
until  he  was  among  the  very  topmost  branches  of 
the  tree.  The  others  stood  on  opposite  sides  of 
the  trunk,  with  axes  or  clubs  uplifted,  and  gazed 
anxiously  upward  until  their  necks  ached. 

At  length  Winn  became  aware  that  from  the 
outermost  end  of  a  slender  branch  just  above  his 
head  a  pair  of  green  eyes  were  glaring  at  him. 
The  glare  was  accompanied  by  an  angry  spitting 
sound.  "  I've  found  him,  fellows !  Look  out  below !" 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Rim&r.  S09 

he  shouted,  and  began  a  vigorous  shaking  of  the 
branch.  All  at  once  the  animal  uttered  a  sound 
that  caused  a  sudden  cessation  of  his  efforts.  It 
also  caused  Winn  to  produce  a  match  from  his 
pocket,  light  it,  and  hold  the  tiny  flame  high 
above  his  head.  Then,  without  a  word,  he  began 
to  descend  the  tree. 

As  he  dropped  to  the  ground  the  others  ex 
claimed  in  amazement,  "  What's  the  matter,  Winn  ? 
Where's  the  'coon  ?  Why  didn't  you  shake  him 
down?" 

"He's  up  there,"  replied  Winn,  "but  I  don't 
want  him.  If  any  of  you  do,  you'd  better  go  up 
and  shake  hirn  down.  I'd  advise  you  to  take  a 
torch  along,  though." 

Not  another  word  of  explanation  would  he  give 
them,  and  finally  Binney  Gibbs,  greatly  provoked 
at  the  other's  stubbornness,  declared  he  would  go 
up  and  shake  that  'coon  down — in  a  hurry,  too. 
He  so  far  accepted  Winn's  advice  as  to  provide 
himself  with  a  blazing  knot,  and  then  up  he  start 
ed.  In  a  few  minutes  he  too  returned  to  the 
ground,  saying  that  he  guessed  Winn  was  about 
right,  and  they  didn't  want  that  'coon  after  all. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  all  foolishness  do  you 
mean?"  cried  Billy  Brackett, impatiently.  "Speak 
out,  man,  and  tell  us,  can't  you  ?" 

But  Binney  acted  precisely  as  Winn  had  done, 


310  Raftmates: 

and  advised  any  one  who  wanted  that  'coon  to  go 
and  get  it. 

"  Well,  I  will !"  exclaimed  the  young  engineer, 
almost  angrily ;  "  and  I  only  hope  I  can  manage 
to  drop  him  on  top  of  one  of  your  heads." 

With  this  he  started  up  the  tree,  and  disappeared 
among  its  thick  branches.  He  quickly  made  his 
way  to  the  top.  Then  the  rustling  of  leaves 
ceased,  there  was  a  moment  of  silence,  followed  by 
a  muttered  exclamation,  and  Billy  Brackett  came 
hastily  down  to  where  the  others  were  expectantly 
awaiting  him. 

"  Let's  go  home,  boys,"  he  said,  as  he  picked  up 
his  axe  and  started  in  the  direction  of  the  river. 
"  Come,  Bim  ;  your  reputation  as  a  'coon  dog  is 
so  well  established  that  there  is  no  need  to  test  it 
any  further." 

Poor  Solon,  who  was  too  old  and  stiff  to  climb 
the  tree,  was  completely  mystified  by  these  strange 
proceedings ;  but  his  expostulation  of, 

"Wha — wha's  de  meanin'  ob  dish  yer — !"  was 
cut  short  by  the  departure  of  his  companions,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  hasten  after  them. 

A  few  minutes  after  the  'coon  hunters  had 
gone  a  big  boy,  and  a  little  girl  with  a  tear-stained 
face,  who  had  come  from  a  house  just  beyond  the 
corn-field,  reached  the  spot,  to  which  they  had 
been  attracted  by  the  firelight.  As  thev  did  so. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  311 

the  child  uttered  a  cry  of  joy,  sprang  to  the  water- 
oak,  and  caught  up  a  frightened  -  looking  little 
black  and  white  kitten  that  was  cautiously  de 
scending  the  big  trunk  backward. 

To  this  day  the  outcome  of  that  'coon  hunt  re 
mains  a  sealed  mystery  to  poor  Solon,  while  Biin 
has  never  been  invited  to  go  on  another. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THR  GREAT  RIVER  AND  ITS  MISCHIEF. 

THE  scenery  amid  which  the  good  raft  Venture 
performed  its  long  and  eventful  voyage  changed 
almost  with  the  rapidity  of  a  kaleidoscope,  but 
was  ever  fascinating  and  full  of  pleasant  surprises. 
The  flaming  autumnal  foliage  of  the  forest-lined 
banks  through  which  the  first  hundred  miles  or  so 
were  made,  gave  way  to  masses  of  sombre  browns  or 
rich  purples,  and  these  in  turn  to  the  flecked  white 
of  cotton-fields,  the  dark  green  of  live-oaks,  and 
the  silver  gray  of  Spanish  moss.  The  picturesque 
cliffs  of  the  upper  river,  rising  in  places  to  almost 
mountainous  heights,  were  merged  into  the  low- 
lauds  of  canebrakes  and  swamps,  broken  by  ranges 
of  bluffs  along  the  eastern  bank  after  the  Ohio 
was  passed.  On  these  bluffs  were  perched  many 
cities  and  towns  that  were  full  of  interest  to  our 
raftmates;  among  them,  Memphis,  Yicksburg, 
Natchez,  and  Baton  Rouge.  Every  here  and  there 
in  the  low  bottom  lands  of  the  "  Delta "  below 
Memphis  they  saw  the  rounded  tops  of  great 
mounds,  raised  by  prehistoric  dwellers  in  that 


fiaftmate* :  A  Story  of  the  Great  fiiver.    31$ 

region  as  places  of  refuge  during  seasons  of  flood. 
They  passed  from  the  great  northern  wheat  region 
into  that  of  corn,  then  into  the  broad  cotton  belt, 
and  finally  to  the  land  of  sugar-cane  and  rice, 
orange -trees,  glossy -leaved  magnolias,  and  gaunt 
moss-hung  cypresses. 

Of  more  immediate  interest  even  than  these 
ever-changing  features  of  the  land  was  the  varied 
and  teeming  life  of  the  mighty  river  itself.  The 
boys  were  never  tired  of  watching  the  streams 
of  strange  craft  constantly  passing  up  or  down. 
Here  a  splendid  packet  in  all  the  glory  of  fresh 
paint,  gleaming  brass,  gay  bunting,  and  crowds  of 
passengers  rushed  swiftly  southward  with  the 
current  in  mid-channel ;  or,  up-bound,  ploughed  a 
mighty  furrow  against  it,  while  the  hoarse  cough- 
ings  of  its  high-pressure  engines  echoed  along 
many  a  mile  of  forest  wall. 

Smaller  up-bound  boats  hugged  the  banks  in 
search  of  slack  water.  Most  of  the  main-stream 
packets  were  side- wheelers ;  but  those  of  lighter 
draught,  bound  far  up  the  Red,  the  Arkansas,  the 
Yazoo,  the  Sunflower,  or  other  tributary  rivers, 
were  provided  with  great  stern  wheels  that  made 
them  look  like  exaggerated  wheelbarrows.  Then 
there  were  the  tow-boats,  pushing  dozens  of  sooty 
coal-barges  from  the  Ohio ;  freight-boats  so  piled 
with  cotton-bales  that  only  their  pilot-houses  and 


814  Eaftmates : 

chimneys  were  visible;  trading -scows  and  "Jo- 
boats  ;"  floating  dance-houses  and  theatres ;  ferry 
boats  driven  by  steam,  or  propelled  by  mule-power, 
like  the  What/not  •  some  large  enough  to  carry  a 
whole  train  of  cars  from  shore  to  shore,  and  others 
with  a  capacity  of  but  a  single  team.  There  were 
skiffs,  canoes,  pirogues,  and  rafts  of  all  sizes  and 
description. 

Most  interesting  of  all,  however,  were  the  Gov- 
arnment  snag-boats,  which  constantly  patrolled  the 
river,  on  the  lookout  for  obstructions  that  the^ 
might  remove.  These  boats  were  doubled-hulled ; 
and  when  one  of  them  straddled  a  snag,  no  matter 
if  it  was  the  largest  tree  that  ever  grew,  it  was 
bound  to  disappear.  With  great  steam-driven 
saws  it  would  be  cut  into  sections,  that  were  lifted 
and  swung  aside  by  powerful  derricks  planted 
near  the  bows.  These  useful  snag-boats  also  gave 
relief  to  distressed  craft  of  all  kinds ;  blew  up  or 
removed  dangerous  wrecks  ;  dislodged  rafts  of  drift 
that  threatened  to  form  inconvenient  bars ;  and  in 
a  thousand  ways  acted  the  part  of  an  ever- vigilant 
police  for  this  grandest  of  American  highways. 

And  the  great  restless  river  needed  watching. 
It  was  as  full  of  mischievous  pranks  as  a  youthful 
giant  experimenting  with  his  new-found  strength. 
It  thought  nothing  of  biting  out  a  few  hundred 
acres  of  land  from  one  bank  and  depositing  them 


A  Story  of  the  Great  jRiver.  316 

miles  below  on  the  other.  If  these  acres  were 
occupied  by  houses  or  cultivated  fields,  so  much 
the  more  fun  for  the  river.  For  years  it  would 
flow  peacefully  in  a  well-known  channel  around 
some  great  bend,  then  decide  to  make  a  change, 
and  in  a  single  night  cut  a  new  channel  straight 
across  the  loop  of  land.  By  such  a  prank  not  only 
were  all  the  river  pilots  thoroughly  bewildered, 
but  a  large  slice  of  one  State,  with  its  inhabitants 
and  buildings,  would  be  transferred  to  another. 
If  at  the  same  time  an  important  river -town 
could  be  stranded  and  left  far  inland,  the  happi 
ness  of  the  mischief -making  giant  was  complete ; 
and  for  many  miles  it  would  swirl  and  eddy  and 
boil  and  ripple  with  exuberant  glee  over  the  suc 
cess  of  its  efforts. 

Above  all  it  delighted  in  secretly  gathering  to 
itself  from  tributary  streams  their  vast  accumula 
tions  of  protracted  rains  or  melting  snows,  until  it 
was  swollen  to  twice  its  ordinary  size,  and  endowed 
with  a  strength  that  nothing'  could  withstand. 
Then  with  mighty  leaps  it  would  overflow  its 
banks,  cover  whole  counties  with  its  tawny  floods, 
burst  through  levees,  and  riot  over  thousands  of 
cultivated  fields,  sweep  away  houses,  uproot  trees, 
and  drown  every  unfortunate  creature  on  which  it 
could  lay  its  clutching  fingers.  Whenever  its  flee 
ing  victims  managed  to  reach  some  little  mound 


316  Rafima6e$: 

or  bit  of  high  land  that  it  could  not  climb,  then  it 
found  equal  pleasure  in  surrounding  them  and 
mocking  them  with  its  plashing  chuckles,  while 
they  suffered  the  pangs  of  slow  starvation. 

At  these  times  of  overflow  not  only  the  snag- 
boats  but  such  other  craft  as  could  be  pressed  into 
the  service  were  despatched  in  every  direction  to 
the  relief  of  the  river  giant's  victims.  While  on 
this  duty  they  carried  provisions,  clothing,  and 
other  necessaries  of  life  into  the  most  remote  dis* 
tricts;  effected  rescues  from  floating  houses,  01 
those  whose  roofs  alone  rose  above  the  flood  and 
afforded  uncertain  refuge  for  their  inmates;  re 
moved  human  beings  and  live-stock  from  little 
muddy  islands  miles  away  from  the  main  channel 
<of  the  river,  carried  them  miles  farther  before 
reaching  places  of  safety,  and  in  every  way  strove 
with  all  their  might  to  mitigate  the  calamity  of 
unfettered  waters. 

Our  raftmates  had  witnessed  the  effect  of  all 
these  freaks  and  caprices,  except  that  of  a  wide 
spread  and  devastating  flood,  during  their  voyage, 
and  as  they  drew  near  its  end  they  became  aware 
that  an  acquaintance  with  this  most  terrible  of  all 
the  river's  efforts  at  destruction  was  to  be  added 
to  their  experience.  The  drought  of  summer  had 
been  followed  by  an  almost  unprecedented  rainfall 
during  the  autumn.  The  earth  in  every  direction 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  317 

was  like  an  oversoaked  sponge,  and  the  surplus 
water  was  pouring  in  turbid  torrents  into  the 
rivers.  From  every  quarter  of  the  vast  Mississippi 
Valley  these  watery  legions  were  hurried  forward 
to  join  the  all-conquering  forces  of  the  great  river. 

It  had  been  high-water  in  the  Ohio  when  the 
Venture  lay  at  Cairo.  When  it  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Arkansas  its  crew  were  amazed  at  the 
mighty  volume  of  its  muddy  flood.  From  this 
on  they  floated  in  company  with  ever-increasing 
masses  of  drift  —  trees,  fences,  farming  imple 
ments,  straw-stacks,  cotton-bales,  out-buildings,  and 
every  now  and  then  a  house,  lifted  bodily  from  its 
foundations,  and  borne  away  in  the  resistless  arms 
of  the  ever-swelling  tide.  Most  of  the  houses  were 
empty,  but  from  several  of  them  the  ready  skiff 
of  the  Venture  effected  rescues,  now  of  a  solitary 
individual  driven  to  the  verge  of  despair  by  the 
lonely  terrors  of  his  situation,  and  then  of  whole 
wretched  families  who  had  lost  everything  in  the 
world  except  their  lives.  A  cow,  several  pigs, 
and  dozens  of  barn-yard  fowls  also  found  an  asylum 
on  the  friendly  raft,  until,  as  Billy  Brackett  said, 
it  reminded  one  of  the  original  and  only  Noah's 
ark  menagerie. 

Besides  supplying  the  raft  with  passengers,  the 
river  helped  to  feed  them.  Floating  straw-stacks 
and  shocks  of  corn  were  always  in  sight,  while 


S18  Raftmates: 

fresh  milk  and  eggs,  pork  and  chickens,  drifted 
with  the  current  on  all  sides.  In  vain  were  these 
passengers  landed  at  the  nearest  accessible  points. 
A  new  lot  was  always  found  to  take  the  place  of 
those  who  had  left,  and  for  ten  days  the  raft  re 
sembled  a  combination  of  floating  hotel,  nursery, 
hospital,  and  farm -yard.  The  resources  of  our 
raftmates  were  taxed  to  their  utmost  during  this 
time  to  provide  for  the  manifold  wants  of  their 
welcome  but  uninvited  guests,  while  Solon  de 
clared,  "  I  hain't  nebber  done  sich  a  sight  er  cook- 
en  durin'  all  de  days  ob  my  life." 

By  the  time  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River  was 
reached,  half  of  Concordia  Parish  was  flooded,  and 
but  for  the  forest  trees  rising  from  the  water,  the 
boys  would  have  thought  themselves  afloat  on  a 
vast  inland  sea.  The  low  bluffs  on  which  the  cap 
ital  of  Louisiana  is  seated,  and  beyond  which  the 
cane  lands  extend  in  almost  a  dead  level  to  the 
Gulf,  were  occupied  by  the  tents  and  rude  shelters 
of  hundreds  of  refugees  from  the  drowned  dis 
tricts.  Here  our  raftmates  began  to  entertain  fears 
for  the  safety  of  their  friends  at  the  Moss  Bank 
plantation,  which  lay  but  a  day's  journey  further 
down  the  river. 

At  Baton  Rouge  they  cleared  the  raft  of  its  liv 
ing  encumbrances,  and  then  pushed  ahead.  From 
this  point  to  the  Gulf  the  great  river  is  enclosed 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Miner.  319 

between  massive  levees,  or  embankments  of  earth, 
behind  which  the  level  of  the  far-reaching  cane- 
fields  is  much  lower  than  the  surface  of  high- 
water.  Thus  the  raft  was  borne  swiftly  along  at 
such  an  elevation  that  its  crew  could  look  over  the 
top  of  the  eastern  levee  and  down  over  a  vast  area 
of  plantation  lands.  These  were  dotted  with  dark 
clumps  of  live-oaks  or  magnolias,  and  at  wide  in 
tervals  with  little  settlements  of  whitewashed  ne 
gro  quarters,  grouped  behind  the  broad- verandaed 
dwellings  of  the  planters.  Near  each  was  the  mill 
in  which  the  cane  from  the  broad  fields  was  crushed 
and  its  sweet  juices  converted  into  sugar.  These 
mills  were  surmounted  by  tall  iron  smoke-stacks, 
and  near  each  stood  the  square,  tower-like  bagasse 
(refuse)  burner,  built  of  stone,  and  looking  like  the 
keep  of  some  ancient  castle. 

All  along  the  levee  they  saw  gangs  of  men  at 
work  strengthening  the  embankments  and  raising 
them  still  higher.  They  were  often  hailed  and 
asked  to  lend  assistance,  but  they  felt  that  their 
own  friends  might  be  in  need  of  them,  and  SG 
passed  on  without  answer.  So  changed  was  the 
aspect  of  the  country  since  Solon  had  last  seen  it, 
and  so  excited  did  the  old  man  become  as  he  neared 
the  scenes  of  former  years,  that  it  was  evident  he 
could  not  be  depended  upon  to  recognize  Mos* 
Bank  when  they  should  reach  it. 


3tO  Raftmates: 

The  day  was  nearly  spent  before  they  arrived  at 
what  they  felt  sure  must  be  its  immediate  vicinity. 
They  had  decided  to  tie  up  at  the  first  good  place, 
and  there  wait  for  morning,  when  Winn  called 
out : 

"  What  is  that  just  ahead  ?  I  thought  it  was  a 
log ;  but  it  seems  to  be  moving  towards  us,  and  I 
believe  it  is  some  sort  of  a  small  boat  with  a  man 
in  it." 

The  object  to  which  their  attention  was  thus 
directed  proved  to  be  a  decked  canoe,  the  very 
daintest  craft  any  of  them  had  ever  seen,  bearing 
the  name  Psyche  in  gold  letters  on  either  bow.  In 
it  sat  a  boy  of  about  Winn's  age,  urging  it  for 
ward  with  vigorous  strokes  of  a  double -bladed 
paddle. 

The  raft  was  close  to  the  levee  as  he  shot  along 
side. 

"  Hello  !"  he  shouted ;  "  is  this  the  raft  Vent 
ure  f» 

"  Yes.     Are  you  Worth  Manton  ?" 

"  No ;  but  I  am  Sumner  Rankin.  Worth  is 
down  there  with  his  father  and  all  the  hands  we 
could  raise,  working  on  the  levee ;  but  we  are  afraid 
it  can't  stand  much  longer.  I  have  been  out  here 
hailing  every  raft  that  passed,  and  watching  for 
you  for  the  last  three  days.  I'm  awfully  glad 
you've  come*  for  our  men  are  discouraged,  and 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  S21 

about  ready  to  give  up.  Now,  perhaps  you  will 
help  us." 

"  Of  course  we  will !  Come  right  aboard  and 
show  us  where  to  tie  up,"  answered  Billy  Brackett, 
heartily. 

By  the  time  the  raft  was  made  fast  near  the 
scene  of  greatest  danger,  and  Mr.  Manton,  with 
Worth,  had  come  aboard,  the  night  was  as  dark  as 
pitch.  The  lanterns  of  the  working  gang  glancing 
here  and  there  like  so  many  fire-flies  were  feebly 
reflected  in  the  angry  waters  that  slid  stealthily  by 
with  uncanny  gurglings  and  muttered  growls. 

"  If  the  bank  will  only  hold  until  morning !" 
said  Mr.  Manton,  about  midnight,  as  he  and  Billy 
Brackett  entered  the  Venture's  cosey  "shanty"  for 
a  brief  rest.  All  but  these  two  and  Solon  were 
asleep,  laying  in  a  stock  of  strength  for  the  labors 
of  the  next  day. 

Suddenly  there  came  a  frightened  shouting  from 
the  bank.  Then  all  other  sounds  were  drowned 
in  the  furious  roar  of  rushing  waters,  while  the 
raft  seemed  to  be  lifted  bodily  and  hurled  into 
space. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

HURLED  THROUGH  THB  CREVASSE  AND  WRECKED. 

DURING  the  earlier  hours  of  that  eventful  night 
Billy  Brackett  had  brought  all  his  engineering  skill 
to  bear  upon  the  problem  of  how  to  save  the  Moss 
Bank  levee.  His  cheery  presence,  and  the  evident 
knowledge  that  he  displayed,  inspired  all  hands 
with  confidence  and  a  new  energy.  Under  his  di 
rection  the  raftmates  worked  like  beavers,  and  Mr. 
Manton  was  more  hopeful  that  the  levee  could  be 
made  to  withstand  the  terrible  pressure  of  swollen 
waters  than  he  had  been  from  the  beginning.  But 
it  was  very  old  and  had  been  neglected  for  years. 
By  daylight  the  young  engineer  might  have  noted 
its  weak  spots,  and  strengthened  them.  He  would 
have  seen  the  thin  streams  that  silently,  but 
steadily  and  in  ever-increasing  volume,  were  work 
ing  their  way  through  the  embankment  near  its 
base.  In  the  inky  blackness  of  the  night  they 
were  unheeded ;  and  while  spade  and  pick  were 
plied  with  unflagging  zeal  to  strengthen  the  higher 
portions,  these  insidious  foes  were  equally  busy  un 
dermining  its  foundations. 


Raftmate* :  A  Story  of  the  Great  Eiver.  823 

Shortly  before  midnight  everything  seemed  BO 
secure  that  the  boys  were  sent  to  the  Venture's 
"  shanty  "  to  get  a  few  hours  of  sleep.  Then  Billy 
Brackett  and  Mr.  Manton  came  in  for  the  hot  cof 
fee  Solon  was  preparing  for  them.  They  had 
hardly  seated  themselves  at  the  table  when  the 
catastrophe  occurred.  Without  warning,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  the  water -soaked  levee  sank  out  of 
sight,  and  dissolved  like  so  much  wet  sugar.  Into 
the  huge  gap  thus  opened  the  exulting  waters 
leaped  with  the  rush  and  roar  of  a  cataract.  On 
the  foaming  crest  of  this  tawny  flood  the  stout 
timber  raft  was  borne  and  whirled  like  an  autumn 
leaf.  A  few  of  the  working  gang  managed  to  reach 
it  and  save  themselves,  but  others  were  swept 
away  like  thistle-down. 

The  boys  thus  rudely  awakened  from  a  sound 
sleep  sprang  up  with  frightened  questionings, 
while  Solon  sank  to  his  knees,  paralyzed  with  ter 
ror.  Nanita  stood  guard  over  her  puppy,  while 
Bim,  with  a  single  bark  of  defiance,  leaped  to  his 
master's  side  and  looked  into  his  face  for  orders. 

"Steady,  boys!  Steady!"  shouted  Billy  Brack 
ett,  as  coolly  as  though  nothing  unusual  were  hap 
pening.  "  Ko,  not  outside.  Keep  that  door  closed. 
It  is  safer  in  here.  We  can  do  nothing  but  wait 
patiently  until  the  raft  fetches  up  against  some 
thing  solid  or  grounds.  Hear  the  waves  boiling 


324  Eqftmates: 

over  the  deck?  There's  a  big  chance  of  being 
swept  off  and  dashed  to  bits  out  there." 

For  five  minutes  the  raft  was  hurled  forward 
and  tossed  with  sickening  plunges,  as  though  in  a 
heavy  seaway,  until  its  occupants  were  nearly  pros 
trated  with  nausea.  Then  came  a  crash  and  a  shock 
that  piled  them  in  headlong  confusion  on  one  side 
of  the  room.  There  was  a  grinding  and  groaning 
of  timbers.  One  side  of  the  raft  was  lifted,  and  the 
other  forced  down,  until  the  floor  of  the  "  shanty" 
sloped  steeply.  With  a  single  impulse  all  hands 
rushed  to  the  door  and  into  the  open  air. 

The  raft  seemed  to  be  stranded  at  the  base  of  a 
rocky  cliff  that  towered  directly  above  it  to  an 
unknown  height.  Against  it  the  mad  waters  were 
dashing  savagely.  Beneath  their  feet  the  stout 
timbers  quivered  with  such  uneasy  movements 
that  it  seemed  as  though  the  end  of  the  Venture 
had  come,  and  that  a  few  more  seconds  or  minutes 
must  witness  its  total  destruction.  Still  they  clung 
to  it  and  to  each  other,  for  they  had  no  other  ref 
uge,  and  in  the  absolute  darkness  surrounding  them 
it  would  have  been  worse  than  folly  to  seek  one. 

After  a  while  the  first  rush  of  waters  passed,  and 
they  settled  into  a  strong  smooth  flow  like  that 
of  the  great  river  from  which  they  came.  The 
uneasy  movements  of  the  raft  ceased,  and  its 
shivering  occupants  again  began  to  breath  freely. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  325 

"  I  guess  it  is  all  right,  boys !"  called  out  Billy 
Brackett.  "  I  believe  we  are  stranded  at  the  foot 
of  the  bagasse -burner;  but  the  old  craft  has  evi 
dently  made  up  its  mind  to  hold  together  for  a 
while  longer,  at  any  rate.  So  I  move  that  we 
crawl  into  the  'shanty'  again.  It's  a  good  deal 
warmer  and  more  comfortable  in  there  than  it  is 
out  here." 

So,  very  cautiously,  to  prevent  themselves  from 
slipping  off  the  steeply-sloping  deck,  our  raftmates 
worked  their  way  back  into  the  little  house  thai 
had  for  so  long  been  their  home.  They  found  the 
lower  side  of  the  floor  about  two  feet  under  water 

All  hands  were  greatly  depressed  by  the  ca 
lamity  that  had  overtaken  them.  Mr.  Manton, 
Worth,  Sumner,  and  old  Solon  grieved  over  the 
ruin  of  Moss  Bank.  Glen  and  Binney  feared  for 
the  safety  of  General  Elting's  valuable  instru 
ments.  Billy  Brackett  wondered  if  Major  Cas 
par,  or  any  one  else,  would  ever  again  have  confi 
dence  in  him  as  the  leader  of  an  expedition,  while 
Winn,  who  had  never  ceased  to  reproach  himself 
for  the  manner  in  which  the  voyage  of  the  Vent 
ure  had  been  begun,  was  now  filled  with  dismay 
at  its  disastrous  termination. 

He,  as  well  as  the  others,  realized  that  the  raft 
was  a  fixture  in  its  present  position,  that  it  would 
never  again  float  on  the  bosom  of  the  great  river, 


326 

and  that  all  dreams  of  selling  it  in  New  Orleans 
must  now  be  abandoned.  He  knew  how  greatly 
his  father  was  in  need  of  the  money  he  had  hoped 
to  receive  from  it.  He  knew  what  a  blow  the 
loss  of  the  wheat  had  been.  Now  the  raft  was 
lost  as  well  As  the  unhappy  boy's  thoughts 
travelled  back  over  the  incidents  of  the  trip,  and 
he  remembered  that  but  for  him  the  wheat  would 
not  have  been  lost,  and  but  for  him  the  raft  would 
probably  have  been  sold  in  St.  Louis,  his  self-accu 
sations  found  their  way  to  his  eyes,  and  trickled 
slowly  down  his  cheeks  in  the  shape  of  hot  tears. 
The  others  could  not  see  them  in  the  darkness, 
and  he  would  not  have  cared  much  if  they  could. 

But  Billy  Brackett  was  not  giving  way  to  his 
grief.  There  was  too  much  to  be  done  for  that. 
He  was  trying  to  set  up  the  overturned  stove, 
and  make  things  more  comfortable.  At  the  same 
time  his  cheery  tones  were  raising  the  low  spirits 
of  his  companions,  and  causing  them  to  take  a 
brighter  view  of  the  situation. 

The  young  engineer,  with  Glen  and  Solon  to 
aid  him,  worked  in  darkness,  for  the  lamp  had 
rolled  from  the  table  when  the  raft  struck  the 
stone  tower,  and  been  extinguished  in  the  water 
that  flooded  part  of  the  "  shanty."  In  spite  of 
this  drawback,  they  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
the  stove  into  position.  Then  they  began  to  feel 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Ewer.  327 

for  fuel  with  which  to  make  a  fire.  Everything 
was  wet.  Some  one  proposed  breaking  up  a  chair, 
but  Billy  Brackett  exclaimed, 

"  Hold  on  !  I  have  thought  of  something 
better." 

With  this  he  caught  hold  of  one  of  the  thin 
boards  used  by  the  "river -traders"  to  ceil  the 
room,  and,  with  a  powerful  wrench,  tore  it  off.  This 
particular  board  happened  to  be  near  where  Winn 
was  sitting  on  the  floor,  so  filled  with  his  own  sad 
thoughts  that  he  paid  but  slight  attention  to  what 
was  going  on  about  him.  As  the  board  was  torn 
from  its  place  several  soft  objects  fell  near  him, 
and  one  of  them  struck  his  hand.  It  seemed  to 
be  paper,  and  when  Billy  Brackett  sung  out  for 
some  paper  with  which  to  start  the  fire,  Winn  said, 
"  Here's  a  wad  that's  dry,"  and  tossed  the  package 
in  the  direction  of  the  stove.  The  young  engi 
neer  slipped  it  under  the  wood,  struck  a  match,  and 
lighted  it.  The  next  instant  he  uttered  a  startled 
exclamation,  snatched  the  package  from  the  stove, 
and  beat  out  the  flame  that  was  rapidly  eating 
into  it. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  Winn. 

"  Matter  ?"  returned  Billy  Brackett.  "  Oh,  noth 
ing  at  all ;  only  I  can't  quite  afford  to  warm  my 
self  at  fires  fed  with  bank-bills.  Not  just  yet.  I 
wouldn't  hesitate  to  dissolve  all  my  spare  pearls  in 


338  Raftmatet: 

vinegar,  if  I  felt  an  inclination  for  that  kind  of  a 
drink,  but  I  must  draw  a  line  at  greenback  fuel. 
Where  did  you  get  them  ?  Whose  are  they  ? 
And  why  in  the  name  of  poverty  do  you  want 
them  burned  up?  Has  your  wealth  become  a 
burden  to  you?" 

"  Are  they  really  bills  ?"  asked  Winn,  incredu 
lously. 

For  answer  Billy  Brackett  struck  anothei 
match,  and  all  saw  that  he  indeed  held  a  package 
of  bank-notes  with  charred  ends.  The  same  light 
showed  Winn  to  be  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
similar  packages. 

The  expression  of  complete  bewilderment  that 
appeared  on  the  boy's  face  as  he  saw  these  was 
so  ludicrous  that,  as  the  match  went  out,  a  shout 
of  laughter  rang  through  the  "shanty." 

u  As  long  as  they  are  so  plenty,  I  guess  we 
might  as  well  burn  them,  after  all,"  said  Billy 
Brackett,  quietly.  With  this  he  struck  another 
match,  relighted  the  little  bundle  of  bills  in  his 
hand,  and  again  thrust  it  into  the  stove. 

For  a  moment  the  others  believed  him  to  have 
lost  his  senses.  Winn  made  a  wild  dash  at  the 
stove  door,  but  Billy  Brackett  caught  his  arm. 

"  It's  all  right,  and  Fm  not  half  so  big  a  fool  as 
I  may  appear,"  he  said,  laughing.  "  Do  you  re 
member  our  late  friends  the  *  river-traders  ?'  And 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  329 

that  they  were  counterfeiters  ?  And  that  they  oc 
cupied  this  very  '  shanty'  for  several  weeks  ?  And 
that,  after  losing  it,  they  made  desperate  attempts 
to  regain  its  possession  ?  And  that  we  wondered 
why  they  had  ceiled  this  room  ;  also,  what  had  be 
come  of  their  stock  in  trade  ?" 

To  each  of  these  questions  Winn  gave  an  affirm 
ative  answer. 

"Well,"  continued  Billy Brackett,  "the  mystery 
is  a  mystery  no  longer.  They  ceiled  this  room  to 
provide  a  safe  and  very  ingenious  hiding-place  for 
their  goods ;  they  wished  to  regain  possession  of 
the  raft,  that  they  might  recover  them.  They 
failed,  and  so  lost  them.  Now,  by  the  merest  acci 
dent,  we  have  found  them." 

"  Do  you  mean — "  began  Winn,  slowly. 

"I  mean,"  said  Billy  Bracket,  "that  while  we 
are  apparently  possessed  of  abundant  wealth,  it  is 
but  the  shadow  of  the  substance.  In  other  words, 
every  one  of  those  bills  is  a  counterfeit,  and  the 
sooner  they  are  destroyed  the  better. 

In  spite  of  this  disappointing  announcement,  the 
desire  of  the  raftmates  to  discover  the  full  extent 
of  the  "  river-traders' "  secret  hoard  was  so  great 
that,  having  found  a  candle,  they  proceeded  by  ita 
light  to  tear  off  the  whole  of  the  interior  sheathing 
of  the  room.  They  found  a  quantity  of  the  counter 
feit  money,  which  Billy  Brackett,  sustained  by  Mr. 


SSO  Raftmates : 

Manton,  insisted  upon  burning  then  and  there. 
They  also  found,  carefully  hidden  by  itself,  a  pack 
age  containing  exactly  one  hundred  genuine  one- 
hundred-dollar  bills. 

"Enough,"  said  Billy  Brackett,  quietly,  "to  re 
fund  the  hundred  they  got  from  Glen  and  Binney, 
to  repay  Major  Caspar  for  the  wheat  they  dumped 
overboard,  and  to  make  good  the  loss  of  the  What 
not,  which  so  nearly  broke  the  heart  of  our  brave 
old  friend  Cap'n  Cod." 

The  justice  of  this  disposition  of  the  money  was 
BO  evident  that  not  a  single  dissenting  voice  was 
raised  among  those  who  had  found  it,  for  they  all 
knew  that  an  effort  to  trace  it  to  its  rightful  own 
ers  would  not  only  be  fruitless,  but  would  cost 
more  than  the  entire  amount. 

The  knowledge  that  his  father  was  thus  to  be 
recompensed  for  the  loss  of  which  he  had  been  the 
direct  cause  so  raised  Winn  Caspar's  spirits  that 
when  daylight  came,  although  their  situation  re 
mained  unchanged,  he  felt  himself  to  be  one  of 
the  very  happiest  boys  in  all  Louisiana. 

The  coming  of  daylight,  while  gladly  hailed  by 
the  occupants  of  the  wrecked  raft,  also  disclosed 
the  extent  of  the  devastation  caused  by  the  flood. 
As  they  had  surmised,  the  Venture  was  stranded  at 
the  foot  of  the  huge  stone  bagasse-burner.  The 
mill  near  by  was  partly  demolished.  The  great 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  831 

house,  standing  amid  its  clumps  of  shrubbery  and 
stately  trees,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  was  sur 
rounded  by  water  that  rose  nearly  to  the  top  of 
the  stone  piers  by  which  it  was  supported.  The 
quarters  and  other  out-buildings  had  disappeared. 
Even  at  that  distance  they  could  see  a  throng  of 
refugees  on  the  verandas  and  at  the  windows  of 
the  great  house. 

"  Unless  speedy  relief  comes  they  will  starve," 
said  Mr.  Manton,  anxiously,  "  for  our  provisions 
had  nearly  run  out  yesterday." 

"  We  are  in  about  the  same  fix,"  said  Billy 
Brackett,  who  had  been  in  earnest  consultation 
with  Solon.  "I  didn't  realize  until  this  minute 
that  we  had  given  away  nearly  the  whole  of  our 
own  supply.  Now  I  find  that  the  few  things  we 
had  left  are  under  water,  and  most  of  them  are 
spoiled." 

At  this  announcement  every  one  suddenly  dis 
covered  that  he  was  intensely  hungry ;  while  Bim, 
seated  on  his  haunches  and  waving  his  fore-paws, 
began  to  "  speak  "  vigorously  for  his  breakfast. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

A  MEETING  OF  MATES. 

WITH  starvation  staring  our  raftmates  in  the 
face,  the  problem  of  how  they  were  to  escape 
from  their  present  predicament  became  a  most 
important  one.  The  first  suggestion  was  that 
they  construct  a  small  and  easily  managed  raft 
from  a  portion  of  the  material  contained  in  the 
Venture.  They  foresaw  that  it  would  be  impos 
sible  for  them  to  propel  even  this  against  the 
swift  current  and  reach  the  river,  where  they 
might  procure  relief  from  some  passing  boat. 
Still,  even  to  drift  with  the  current,  or  at  the  best 
to  work  their  way  diagonally  across  it,  with  the 
hope  of  reaching  some  source  of  food  supply, 
geemed  better  than  to  remain  where  they  were, 
and  accordingly  they  began  to  collect  material  for 
a  raft. 

They  had  hardly  started  at  this  when  Worth 
called  out.  that  he  saw  a  canoe  lodged  in  a  clump 
of  shrubbery. 

They  all  looked  where  he  pointed,  and  all  saw 
it.  Although  it  was  not  more  than  a  hundred 


Raft/mates :  A  Story  of  the  Cheat  River.   SSS 

yards  from  them,  the  full  force  of  the  current 
must  be  encountered  for  the  entire  distance  be 
fore  one  could  reach  it. 

All  were  agreed  that  they  must  obtain  it,  if  pos 
sible,  and  that  their  very  lives  might  depend  upon 
getting  that  canoe.  First  Billy  Brackett  threw 
off  his  clothing,  and  plunging  into  the  chill  waters, 
attempted  to  swim  to  it.  He  had  not  covered 
half  the  distance  before  he  was  compelled  to  turn 
back  utterly  exhausted.  Then  Glen  Elting  and 
Sumner  undertook  the  task  together,  but  splen 
did  swimmers  as  they  were,  they  could  no  more 
stem  that  resistless  flood  than  they  could  have 
flown  to  the  canoe. 

As  they  were  dejectedly  resuming  their  clothing 
in  the  "  shanty "  they  were  startled  by  a  shout 
from  outside.  Winn  Caspar  had  solved  the  prob 
lem.  While  the  others  were  watching  the  fruit 
less  struggles  of  Glen  and  Sumner  from  one  side 
of  the  raft  he  had  slipped  overboard  from  the 
other,  and  swam  diagonally  across  the  current  to  a 
hedge  of  oleanders,  the  tops  of  which  were  still 
above  water.  This  hedge  extended  to  the  river, 
and  passed  within  fifty  yards  of  the  shrubbery  in 
which  the  canoe  was  caught. 

When  Winn  reached  the  oleanders  he  was  con> 
siderably  below  the  raft,  and  of  course  nearly 
twice  as  far  from  the  canoe  as  when  he  started. 


884  Rqftmates  : 

He  had  anticipated  this,  however,  and  now  began 
to  work  his  way  back  against  the  current  by  pull, 
ing  himself  from  one  bush  to  another.  When  he 
reached  a  point  abreast  the  raft  the  others  saw 
him  and  shouted.  He  only  waved  his  hand  in 
reply  and  kept  on,  while  they  watched  him  with 
eager  interest.  As  he  gained  a  position  opposite 
the  canoe  they  shouted  again,  but  still  he  kept  on, 
until  he  was  nearly  a  hundred  yards  above  it. 

Then,  after  a  long  rest,  he  left  the  friendly 
oleanders,  and  struck  out  with  brave  strokes  for 
the  coveted  object.  He  was  now  again  swimming 
diagonally  across  the  current,  and  knew  that  even 
should  he  miss  the  canoe,  he  would  be  borne  down 
to  the  raft.  But  he  did  not  miss  it.  He  had 
calculated  too  well  for  that ;  and  when  he  again 
reached  the  raft,  he  brought  the  Psyche  with  him. 

He  was  chilled  to  the  bone,  numb,  and  sick  with 
exhaustion ;  but  for  such  a  royal  cheer  as  greeted 
him,  and  the  praises  that  his  companions  showered 
upon  him,  he  would  have  dared  and  suffered  twice 
as  much.  At  the  same  moment,  as  if  to  encourage 
such  brave  deeds,  the  sun  shone  out  warm  and 
bright,  transforming  the  whole  character  of  the 
scene  with  its  cheery  warmth. 

Sumner  Rankin  was  ready,  and  with  a  light 
heart  he  stepped  into  his  beloved  craft.  Then, 
with  vigorous  strokes  of  his  double-bladed  paddle, 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  385 

he  shot  away  towards  the  river,  where  he  was  to 
remain  until  he  could  persuade  a  boat  of  some 
kind  to  come  to  the  relief  of  his  fellow-sufferers. 

In  spite  of  the  sunlight  and  their  hopes  of  rescue, 
the  long  hours  passed  slowly  aboard  the  Venture. 
There  was  little  to  do,  and  nothing  to  eat,  though 
Solon  did  succeed  in  making  a  pot  of  coffee,  which 
they  drank  without  sugar  or  milk.  In  one  re 
spect,  however,  it  was  the  most  successful  day  of 
the  Venture's  entire  cruise ;  for  during  those 
tedious  hours  Billy  Brackett  and  Winii  accom 
plished  the  object  for  which  it  had  been  under 
taken.  They  sold  the  raft.  In  gazing  over  his 
flooded  plantation  and  planning  for  its  future, 
Mr.  Manton  realized  that  with  the  subsidence  of 
the  waters  he  would  have  immediate  use  for  a 
large  quantity  of  lumber. 

"  Why  not  buy  ours  ?"  suggested  Winn. 

"  Why  not  ?"  answered  Mr.  Manton. 

Five  minutes  later  the  bargain  was  completed 
that  transferred  the  ownership  of  the  Venture,  and 
crowned  Major  Caspar's  undertaking  with  success. 
It  was  such  a  satisfactory  arrangement  that  they 
only  wondered  they  had  not  thought  of  it  before. 

"  Here  the  lumber  is,  just  where  I  want  it,  and 
not  a  cent  of  freight  to  pay,"  said  Mr.  Manton. 

"  Now  you  and  I  can  get  back  to  Caspar's  Mill, 
and  help  your  father  out  with  that  contract ;  and 


336  Eaftmates : 

it  is  high  time  we  were  there  too,"  said  Billy 
Brackett  to  Winn.  "  Hello !  What's  this  ?  The 
Psyche  coming  back  again  ?  If  it  is,  young  Ran- 
kin  must  be  having  a  fit,  for  he's  black  in  the 
face." 

"  It's  Quorum  !"  shouted  Worth.  "  In  the  Cu 
pid,  too !  Of  all  things,  that  is  the  very  last  I 
should  ever  have  expected  to  see !" 

Sure  enough,  it  was  the  faithful  negro  progress 
ing  slowly  and  with  such  awkwardness  that  the 
anxious  spectators  expected  to  see  him  upset  at 
each  moment.  Nevertheless,  he  finally  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  raft ;  and  as  they  hauled  him  aboard 
he  gasped,  with  thankfulness, 

"  Dat  de  seckon  time  dish  yer  nigger  ebber  bin 
in  one  ob  dem  ar  cooners,  an'  him  hope  he  be 
good  an'  daid  befo'  him  ebber  sperimentin'  wif  um 
agen !" 

Quorum  had  come  from  the  great  house,  where 
the  Cupid  was  the  sole  craft  to  be  had.  It  was 
only  after  hours  of  persuasion  and  semi-starvation 
that  he  had  been  induced  by  the  other  refugees  to 
make  the  trip  to  the  raft,  which  they  had  discov 
ered  soon  after  daylight.  He  described  a  pitiful 
state  of  affairs  as  existing  among  the  hungry  throng 
lie  had  just  left,  and  declared  that  another  day  with 
out  food  would  witness  great  suffering  in  the 
crowded  house. 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Kiner.  3S7 

Even  as  he  related  his  story,  those  gathered  about 
him  were  startled  by  the  shrill  note  of  a  steam- 
whistle  coming  from  the  direction  of  the  river. 
Sumner  had  found  relief,  and  was  bringing  it  to 
them. 

During  the  hours  that  passed  so  slowly  on  the 
raft,  the  brave  little  Psyche  had  cruised  here  and 
there  over  the  broad  Mississippi  sea,  now  hailing 
some  boat  that  refused  to  stop,  and  then  chasing 
another  that  it  failed  to  overtake.  Finally,  late  in 
the  afternoon,  Sumner  discovered  a  trail  of  black 
smoke  coming  up-stream  and  towards  him.  As  he 
anxiously  watched  it,  trying  to  decide  which  way 
he  should  go  to  head  it  off,  he  discovered  a 
white  banner  with  a  scarlet  cross  flying  out  cheer 
ily  just  beneath  the  trail  of  smoke.  Then  he 
knew  that  help  was  at  hand,  and  no  matter  what 
other  boats  might  do,  that  one  would  stop  at  his 
signal. 

As  it  drew  near,  he  was  amazed  to  see  that  in 
stead  of  a  river  steamer,  such  as  he  had  expected, 
the  red-cross  boat  was  a  fine  sea-going  yacht ;  and 
as  she  came  dashing  towards  him,  her  sharp  stem 
cleaving  the  brown  waters  like  a  knife,  her  shining 
black  hull,  varnished  houses,  polished  metal,  and 
plate-glass  flashing  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun, 
this  sailor  son  of  a  sailor  father  thought  her  the 
most  beautiful  thing  he  had  ever  seen.  She  slowed 


S38  Eaftmates: 

down  at  his  signal)  and  in  another  minute  he  was 
alongside. 

A  line  was  flung  to  him,  and  making  it  fast  to 
the  Psyche's  painter,  he  clambered  up  a  ladder 
that  had  been  dropped  from  the  gangway.  As  he 
reached  the  deck,  a  fine -looking  young  fellow, 
apparently  but  little  older  than  himself,  and  wear 
ing  a  natty  yachting  uniform,  stepped  forward  to 
meet  him. 

Sumner  briefly  explained  his  errand,  and  point 
ing  to  the  red-cross  flag  at  the  foremast -head, 
added  that  he  believed  aid  might  be  expected  from 
those  who  sailed  under  it. 

"  Indeed  it  may,"  responded  the  other,  heartily ; 
and  our  present  business  is  to  discover  just  such 
cases  as  you  describe.  Although  the  Merdb  is,  as 
you  see,  a  private  yacht,  in  which  we  happened  to 
put  into  New  Orleans  during  a  winter  cruise  to 
the  southward,  she  is  at  present  in  the  service  of 
the  Bed  Cross  Society,  of  which  I  am  a  member, 
and  devoted  to  the  relief  of  sufferers  by  this  awful 
flood.  May  I  ask  your  name  ?  Mine  is  Coffin — 
Tristram  Coffin  ;  though  I  am  better  known  as 
Breeze  McCloud,  and  that  of  my  friend  (here  he 
turned  to  another  young  man,  also  in  navy  blue) 
is  Mr.  Wolfe  Brady." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  beautiful  Merab  lay  at 
anchor  as  near  the  stranded  raft  as  it  was  safe  to 


A  Story  of  the  Great  River.  389 

venture,  and  its  occupants  were  being  transferred 
to  her  hospitable  deck  by  one  of  her  boats. 
Another  boat,  laden  with  provisions,  was  on 
its  way  to  the  starving  refugees  in  the  great 
house. 

The  young  owner  of  the  Merdb  insisted  that 
all  those  who  came  from  the  raft  should  be  his 
guests,  at  least  for  that  night. 

The  invitation  was  accepted  as  promptly  and 
heartily  as  it  had  been  given,  and  soon  afterwards 
two  very  hungry  but  very  merry  parties  sat  down 
to  bountiful  dinners  in  two  entirely  distinct  parts 
of  the  yacht. 

Along  the  mess-table  of  the  galley — or  the  "cam- 
boose,"  as  the  yacht's  cook  insisted  upon  calling  it 
' — were  ranged  three  gentlemen  of  color,  each  of 
whom  treated  his  companions  with  the  greatest 
deference,  though  at  the  same  time  believing  him 
self  to  be  just  a  little  better  posted  in  culinary 
matters  than  either  of  the  others. 

"  Dish  yer  wha'  I  calls  a  mighty  scrumptious 
repas',"  exclaimed  Solon,  after  a  long  silence  de 
voted  to  appeasing  the  pangs  of  his  hunger.  "  But 
fo'  de  true  ole-time  cookin'  gib  me  de  Moss  Back 
kitchin  befo'  de  wah." 

"  I  specs  dat  ar'  berry  good  in  hits  way,"  re 
marked  Quorum  ;  "  same  time  I  hain't  nebber  eat 
nuffin  kin  compare  wif  de  cookin'  er  dem  Semin- 


640  Eaftmaies : 

yole  Injuns  what  libs  in  de  Ebberglades.  Dat's 
whar  I  takin  my  lesson." 

"  Sho,  gen'l'muns !  'pears  to  me  lak  you  don't 
nebber  go  on  er  deep-sea  v'yge  whar  you  gets  de 
genuwine  joe-flogger,  an'  de  plum -duff,  an'  sich 
like,"  said  Nimbus,  the  yacht's  cook.  "  Ef  you  had, 
you  wouldn'  talk." 

In  the  luminous  after -saloon  the  other  party 
was  seated  at  a  table  white  with  snowy  damask, 
and  gleaming  with  silver,  which  was  at  once  the 
pride  and  care  of  old  Mateo,  the  Portuguese  stew 
ard. 

It  was  a  party  so  overflowing  with  merriment 
and  laughter,  jokes  and  stories,  that  from  one  end 
of  the  table  the  young  owner  of  the  yacht  was 
moved  to  call  to  his  friend  at  the  other, 

"  I  say,  Wolfe,  this  reminds  me  of  the  mess 
aboard  the  old  Fish  Hawk,  when  we  were  '  Dory- 
mates  '  together  off  Iceland." 

"  It  reminds  me,"  said  Glen  Elting,  "  of  the  jolly 
mess  of  the  Second  Division,  when  Billy  Brackett 
and  Binney  and  I  were  '  Campmates '  together  in 
New  Mexico." 

Said  Sumner  Eankin,  "  It  reminds  me  of  the 
cabin  mess  of  the  Transit,  when  we  went  '  Ca- 
noemates '  together,  through  the  Everglades.  Eh, 
Worth?" 

"  While  I,"  chimed  in  Winn  Caspar,  "  am  re- 


A  Story  of  the  Great  Riner.  341 

minded  of  the  happy  mess-table  of  the  good  ship 
Venture,  on  which  we  'Raftmates'  have  just  floated 
for  more  than  a  thousand  miles  down  the  great 
river." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Mr.  Manton,  rising,  and  hold 
ing  high  a  glass  filled  with  amber  -  colored  river- 
water,  "  as  I  seem  to  have  become  a  shipmate  of 
Dorymates,  Campmates,  Canoemates,  and  Eaft- 
mates,  I  am  moved  to  propose  a  toast.  It  is,  'Long 
life  and  prosperity,  health  and  happiness,  now  and 
forever,  to  all  true  mates.'" 


THE  END. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


